The Violet Malfoy Chronicles: Year 3
by LegilimensAndAnimagus
Summary: Violet is thirteen now and entering her Third Year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Her thirst for vengeance for her mother's death is pushed aside when she begins to encounter the teenaged years and all of it's adventures.
1. Learning How To Pick Your Battles

**Hello, everyone! Well, Year 3 is finally here! **

**This story will also be rated M for language and some sexual content and references.**

**And of course, the characters you recognize from the books are not mine, but the wonderful J.K. Rowling's! :)**

**I hope you like this one.**

**xoxo, D**

* * *

The summer was horribly humid that year, and Violet couldn't be more thankful for the ever-existant chill in Malfoy Manor. She was currently in her bedroom, standing in front of her full-length mirror and staring at her reflection. Her training with Sarah Croft had done her body and health good. Her naturally pale skin had darkened into a subtle olive color from the sun's rays, her limbs and abdominals had toned up, and her reflexes were in top form.

The work was difficult at first. After a training session with Sarah Violet's body was wracked with pain and exhaustion. Working her muscles she had never used before and handling heavy Muggle weapons left every inch of her body sore and her hands raw and bleeding. That combined with the magical training from Theodore sometimes had Violet on her knees and wanting to give up.

But her thirst for vengeance kept her going.

The cuts and bruises healed. The pain went away and the physical training became easier. Violet had worked hard all summer and was now reaping the rewards. She felt better and felt even more confident than she had before. So she decided to give herself a break for the night and go to the bonfire party Theodore was hosting.

But first she'd have to survive a shopping trip with her grandmother and Astoria.

"Violet, we're ready to leave." Narcissa called from the other side of Violet's bedroom door.

"Coming!" Violet replied.

Violet emerged from her room and hurried down the grand staircase. She was making her way towards the fireplace when she was stopped by her father.

"Where are you going dressed like that?" Draco demanded to know.

"What are you on about?" Violet replied. "I look alright."

Draco shook his head. "You certainly do not! You've got too much makeup on, that top is inappropriate, those shorts are too short, and I don't like that nail varnish you've got on!"

Violet protested. "I've barely got makeup on and there's nothing wrong with my outfit! And what's wrong with my nail varnish?"

"It's too white!"

Violet scoffed at this. "_Too white? _That is so stupid—"

"Stupid or not, I don't like it. Now go clean your face and your nails and change into a proper outfit."

"Daddy!" Violet began to whine.

"Go change!" Draco insisted.

To everyone's surprise, Astoria stepped in to defend her stepdaughter.

"Draco, she's dressed just fine. She's just got on a little eyeliner and lipstick and her outfit is appropriate—"

"She looks like a street walker!" Draco hissed.

Violet gasped and Narcissa slapped her son's arm. Astoria placed her hand on her hips and glared at her husband.

"Daddy, it's hot as hell outside!" said Violet. "And it's not like you can see my bum or anything."

She turned around to show him and Draco's gray eyed widened in horror.

"Go change!" He demanded.

Narcissa had had enough. She stepped in and waved Draco off.

"Draco, stop it! Violet is dressed appropriately. She's thirteen years old, son. You have to let her grow up sometime!"

Draco was stunned silent. Narcissa took advantage of her son's momentary silence and ushered Violet and Astoria into the fireplace.

"Can you believe that?!" Draco exclaimed when they were gone. "She's thirteen! _Thirteen! _She doesn't need to be wearing outfits like that!"

"To be honest, it's not that big of a deal." Lucius spoke up from the other sofa. Draco gaped at him. "Her attire wasn't that bad."

"But Father—"

"It wasn't bad, Draco. Really, it isn't."

Draco threw his hands up in frustration.

"Why does no one understand?!" He cried into the room.

Lucius stood and forced Draco to sit down on the sofa. He waved his wand and two glasses of bourbon appeared in front of them. He forced a glass into his son's hands and sat down across from him.

"Drink that and calm yourself! You're acting like a damn fool!" Lucius hissed. Draco obeyed and drank the alcohol down in two swallows.

"She's a teenager now—"

"I know! I've been watching her grow up—she's my granddaughter! I've got eyes, I can see the makeup on her face and all of those boys that look at her. I can see it and I don't like it either, but I refuse to let small things such as nail varnish and lipstick get to me! There will be much bigger things you'll have to deal with when raising a daughter, and that wasn't one of them. Your mother is right; you _have _to let her grow up, but for now just enjoy how little trouble she is giving you now. In a couple of years she'll _really _be giving you hell! In the meantime, just relax and learn how to choose your battles!"

"Choose my battles." Draco repeated solemnly. "The trouble with that is, in my mind they're all worth fighting for."

O-O

Diagon Alley was not as crowded as it usually was on a summer afternoon. Violet assumed it was because it was too hot outside and no one wished to endure the heat for the sake of shopping. She wished she was one of those that had chosen to stay home that day instead of agreeing to shop with her family. The combination of her grandmother and stepmother's snail-paced shopping and the dead heat was driving Violet mad. Two hours into the shopping she broke away from them and took refuge in the ice cream shop.

Violet was nearly finished with her strawberry ice cream cone when she was suddenly joined by an uninvited companion at the small table. The strong smell of sickly sweet perfume and hair spray wafted into her nose, and Violet didn't have to look up to know she had been joined by Brittany Sanders.

"Go. Away. Slut." Violet said though clenched teeth.

But Brittany did not leave. Instead she crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Violet.

"I hope you're happy," she said. "You've officially driven Ty off."

Violet glared back at her. "What are you talking about?"

"Ty. You've officially driven him off." Brittany said more slowly as if the Third Year was daft. "You pushed him away and straight into the arms of another girl!" At this Violet gave a loud snort. "Laugh all you want Violet, but now our Ty is over there canoodling with that redheaded hyena that is Annaliese Fox!"

Brittany pointed out of the window to the street opposite. Violet followed her finger's direction and gave an involuntary gasp when she saw Ty Thomas walking hand-in-hand with Annaliese Fox. The two appeared happy as they strolled casually down the alley. Their fingers were intertwined and they were laughing freely about something.

"See? I told you!"

Violet tore her eyes away from the couple and shook off that dull throb in the pit of her stomach.

"You're a psychopath." Violet responded. "And what is this _'our Ty' _business? He doesn't belong to either one of us."

"And that's the problem!" Brittany hit her fist on the table. "Even though he rejected me at least I could still be around him and talk to him when she was with you! Fox won't let him hang around his friends anymore. We haven't hung out with him in _months _because he's too busy with her and _her_ friends. She's completely changed him!"

"Why are you bothering _me_ about this?" Violet asked.

"Because I need your help. We need to break them up!"

Violet knitted her eyebrows together. "Break them up? What about Stephen? Aren't you going out with _him_?"

Brittany rolled her eyes. "Yes, but as it so happens I'm in love with Ty!"

Violet laughed. "In _love _with him? You don't even know him!"

Brittany responded defensively. "I've known him since First Year! I know he's a great guy with a good heart and good manners. He's a true gentlemen and one of the few good ones left! Who wouldn't be in love with him? Weren't you in love with him?"

Violet spooned a puddle of melted ice cream in her mouth so she wouldn't have to answer.

"Anyway, are you going to help me or not?"

Violet shook her head. "_Not. _It's none of my business, nor is it yours."

"Um...am I interrupting something?"

Brittany and Violet looked up to see that Arthur Winters had joined them.

"Not at all," Brittany said. "I was just leaving." She stood up from the table and looked to Violet. "Think about it, Malfoy?"

"Go away." Violet snarled.

"Fine," Brittany said. "But I must warn you, when I do break them up it will be open season on Ty. And I _will _be making a play for him."

"I wouldn't expect anything less." said Violet.

Brittany gave her one last seething look before stomping off.

"Ty? Are you two getting back together?" Arthur asked. Violet noticed the slight look of disappointment on his face.

"Ignore that slut." Violet said. "Why don't you sit down?"

"Oh, I can't stay. I just came by because I heard your voice and I wanted to ask you something."

"Oh? And what did you want to ask me?"

"It's kind of embarrassing, really," he blushed slightly and rubbed the back of his neck. "My dad is being honored at his university for twenty-five years of service or whatever. Anyway, my entire family is going to the ceremony and they said I could take someone with me. You know, so I won't be bored or anything. And I was wondering if you'd...you know...want to go with me?"

"Erm...sure." Violet said with a nod. "Yeah, I'd love to go. Friends don't let friends be bored at parties."

Arthur's face washed over with relief and he smiled. "Thanks, Vi! I owe you one!"

"And don't you forget that!" She stood and hugged him. "Well, I guess I'll see you at training tomorrow. I've got to go find my grandmother and Astoria before they freak out."

"Alright," he said. "But before I forget, I'm supposed to wear a suit and tie for this ceremony thing. So I guess you should wear something...nice, I guess."

"Nice." Violet said to herself. She nodded. "Alright. I think I have something that would be appropriate. Is dark blue okay?"

"Sounds lovely. It's a date, then?"

"Erm...yeah. It's a...date."

O-O

Violet arrived at the Nott's home at approximately at nine o'clock that night. Her father had no problem allowing his daughter to go to a friend's house at such a late hour, after all the Nott family were the part of a very small group of people Draco could trust with his child. What Draco didn't know was that Theodore Sr. and Mandy were out of town that night, and their sixteen year old son had planned a party in their absence. Violet arrived to the manor filled with rowdy partiers that she recognized as both current and former Hogwarts students.

"They're all in Slytherin, I think." Jess told Violet as they greeted each other with a hug. "I'm pretty sure one of the slimy gits spiked the juice with alcohol, so watch out!"

Violet giggled a little. "Thanks for the warning." She looked around the home at the laughing and dancing teenagers that were drinking from red cups. "Your parents know nothing about this party?"

Jess shook her head. "Nope. My brother's an expert liar. He's got them completely fooled."

"Sounds plausible." Violet said with a nod. "I don't see why we're here, though. It looks like everyone here is a lot older than us."

"Yeah, I think this is a Fifth Year and above party." said Jess. "And the only reason I got invited is because I _live _here! If Mum and Dad didn't force him to look after me this weekend I'm sure he would have sent me away somewhere. As for why you were invited, that remains a mystery. He's up to something, he is."

"Most likely," Violet agreed. "Where is Theodore, anyway?"

"In the backyard. Come on, let's go find him."

The two Third Years made their way through the crowd of teenagers in search of the host. Along the way they spotted a few Ravenclaws, Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs. But the majority of the group were Slytherins, and the girls noticed a few of the boys looking at them in a way they were uncomfortable with. Both Jess and Violet looked a little older than they were, with both being tall and lithe. Violet could understand why they assumed she was their age, and possibly assumed that Jess was even older. Still, it was uncomfortable and made them almost desperate to find Theodore.

They found him by the fire, shirtless and in the company of his girlfriend of almost two years.

"Violet, you made it!" Theodore beamed when he saw her approach.

"Hello, munchkin!" Lizzie exclaimed. Violet could tell from her slightly slurred speech that the liquid in her cup was certainly not pumpkin juice. "Enjoying your first grown up party?"

"Not really." Violet replied.

"Theodore, there's too many people here!" Jess complained to her brother. "I'm starting to get creeped out—these two boys keep staring at me!"

Theodore rolled his eyes. "Relax, Jessica! They won't try anything! They know you're my sister and they wouldn't dare hurt you!"

"Small comfort!" Jess sneered.

Theodore dismissed her complaints and turned his attention to Violet. "I'm glad you're here, Violet. There's someone I want you to meet..."

Violet's nerves jumped around as Theodore called for someone named Hunter. Moments later a rather smug looking dark-skinned teenaged boy with chiseled and handsome features approached them. He and Theodore smiled at each other in greeting and Theodore slung an arm around him.

"Violet, this is my good friend, Hunter Beckett. Hunter, this is Violet Malfoy. She's a Third Year at Hogwart."

"I know, I've seen her around." Hunter reached for her hand for a handshake. "Gryffindor, right?"

"Right." Violet said as she shook his hand.

"Hunter is a Fifth Year," Theodore said. "He just made Slytherin Prefect."

"Congratulations." Violet responded politely.

"Thank you, Miss Malfoy." Hunter smiled that smug little smile that made Violet's stomach twist a little. Her stomach then gave a lurch when he had the nerve to raise her hand to his lips and brush them gently over her knuckles.

At this point Violet was feeling flustered and was desperate for a distraction.

"Theodore, can I have a word with you?"

Violet did not wait for an answer. She took a strong hold on Theodore's forearm and forced him some distance away from the group. She released her grip and crossed her arms over chest, giving him a hard look.

"What was that all about?"

"What? Theodore asked with confusion.

"Hunter Beckett!" Violet growled. "You're trying to match me up with him, aren't you?"

"Yes." He cocked his head to the side and gave her a bewildered look. "You seem angry about it."

"I _am _angry!"

"Why? Don't you like him? He seems like your type—"

My _type?" _Violet uncrossed her arms and put her hands on her hips. "What exactly is my _type, _Theo?"

"You know," Theodore said as if what he was about to say was a well-known fact. "The tall, black, athletic-looking type. I thought him being a Prefect would help."

"It doesn't matter that he's a Prefect _or _that he's tall and black or athletic—"

"You do find him attractive, don't you? I thought you'd like him since he kind of reminds me of Ty Thomas—except he's not a moron—"

"Ty is _not _a moron!" Violet hissed. "And you were wrong! I _don't _like Hunter, and I _don't _need you butting into my personal life!"

Violet stormed away from Theodore before he got a chance to respond. She took Jess with her on her way to the latter's room, stomping and grumbling the entire way.

"What did you two talk about?" Jess asked when they were safely in her bedroom with the door shut.

"Your stupid brother's audacity to try and hook me up with one of his equally stupid friends!" Violet groaned and threw herself on Jess's bed. "He thought because Hunter is tall and black that I would like him and want to date him."

Jess flopped down next to her on the bed and propped herself up on her elbow.

"Well, _would_ you date him?" Jess asked. "I mean, I saw your face when he kissed your hand."

"No, I certainly would not date him." Violet replied. "And I didn't make any face when he kissed my hand!"

"You did too! You blushed a little."

"I did not!" Violet argued.

"Did too!" Jess countered. "We all saw it, Vi! You might as well just admit it."

Violet huffed a sigh and admitted defeat. "Alright, I do think he's attractive. But I wouldn't ever date him. He's too arrogant!"

Jess nodded. "I know what you mean. I could feel the arrogance radiating off of him. That's probably why you two wouldn't work out. You're too much alike. You can't have two overly confident people in a relationship, they'll butt heads too much."

Violet feigned offense. "_Arrogant? Me? _No!"

Jess giggled. "Yes, you are arrogant. Not as much as that Hunter Beckett bloke, but you are."

Violet burst out laughing. "Okay, I guess I'm a little arrogant. I can admit that."

"And that's why Ty is so perfect for you! He brings you back down to earth when you need it, and he adores you but isn't afraid to stand up to you. I think that's the type of guy you need, Vi."

A small bubble of sadness that had been hidden in the pit of Violet's stomach suddenly burst when she remembered seeing Ty in Diagon Alley with Annaliese Fox. She could feel Jess's green eyes on her, all knowing and scanning her face for any signs of sadness. So Violet cleared her face of any emotion the best she could and changed the subject.

"How are things with you? Have you seen James lately?" Violet asked.

Now it was Jess's turn to be sad. She lowered her eyes to the bed and began twirling locks of blonde hair around her finger.

"No, I haven't. He's been...seeing Ashley Axeman."

Violet gasped. _"What?"_

"Yeah. They've been seeing each other since the beginning of summer."

Violet was almost speechless. "But..._you _fancy James! How the hell did these two get together?!"

"I don't know, but they are." Jess said with a sigh.

"Doesn't she know that you like James?"

She shook her head. "No. No one knows except for you and Sonia."

"Well, this is so screwed up!" Violet said. "You're a million times better than her, Jess."

Jess smiled softly. "Thanks, Violet."

At that moment the door burst open and a snogging couple stumbled into the room, desperate for a private place.

"HEY! GET OUT OF HERE!" Jess shouted to the couple. She and Violet booted the pair out of the room and locked the door behind them.

"The nerve of some people!" Violet exclaimed.

"I hope that won't be us in a few years!" said Jess. "If I ever behave like that, do me a favor and knock some sense into me!"

"Only if you do the same for me."

Jess nodded. "Deal."

"Deal."

They sealed the deal with a handshake.


	2. Crossing Boundaries

An owl arrived at Malfoy Manor on a Thursday evening addressed to Violet. She was in the bath after an exhausting day of training so her father seized the opportunity and intercepted the letter. Draco was determined to stay true to his word and do his all to keep that Thomas boy away from his daughter. He was even willing to stoop to the level of reading her letters to make sure they weren't in contact. Even the thought of Dean Thomas' son writing love letters to his daughter made his stomach turn.

Draco analyzed the handwriting and determined that it was too feminine to be penned by a teenaged boy. He held the edge of the envelope to his nose and caught a whiff of perfume.

"It's definitely a girl." Draco muttered to himself. "But just to be sure—"

Without hesitation he ripped the envelope open and pulled out the letter. He was halfway through reading it when he was startled by his daughter's foot angrily stomp the floor.

"Daddy! You're reading my letter?" She stomped over to where he was standing and pointed at the envelope in his hand that had her name written on it. "How could you? This is an invasion of my privacy!"

Violet tried to snatch her letter from his hand but Draco was taller and held it out of her reach.

"You're thirteen! You have no privacy!" Draco countered. "Besides, I'm just protecting you!"

"Protecting me from _what, _a paper cut?" Violet argued. "Daddy, give it to me!"

"Here." He handed the letter out to her and she snatched it angrily from his hand. "Your friend Selena invited you to stay the weekend at her home—"

"I can read it for myself, thanks!" She spat. Violet turned her back to her father as she read her letter from Selena. Draco tapped his foot impatiently as Violet read. When she finished reading she turned to her father with folded arms and an angry expression on her face. "Can I go?"

Draco straightened up. "It depends. Is the Thomas boy going to be there?"

Violet rolled her eyes. "I don't know."

"And what if he is?" He crossed his arms and stared intently at her.

She too crossed her arms and stared back at him. "Then I can't help that, can I? It's not my house. I don't live there. He's their relative and they'll invite him over if they want to. That's out of my control."

Draco glared at her and squared his shoulders in preparation for another go. "And what if he's there and tries to chat you up?"

Violet scoffed. "I've already told you that we haven't spoken in months! Our last chat didn't end too well so I doubt we'll be speaking for a long time."

"Is that so?"

"It is very much so." Violet replied impatiently. "Now can I go or not?"

"I suppose so." said Draco, unable to hide the relief in his voice. "Just remember what I've told you, Violet—"

"I know, I'm not allowed to be around Ty!" She snapped. "I get it, Daddy! Now if you're done sticking your nose into my business I'd like to go write back to Selena now!"

Draco stared after his daughter as she stomped up the stairs. He shuddered when he heard the sharp bang of her slamming her bedroom door shut. Violet was very angry with him, but he let it roll off his back. He knew she'd understand someday. For the time being he poured himself a cup of tea and sat at the little dining table near the bay window to read the evening edition of the _Daily Prophet. _Ten minutes later Astoria entered the room looking rather irritated.

"Draco, what's going on?" She asked.

Draco looked up from the paper at his wife. "What do you mean?"

"A few minutes ago I was sorting through boxes in the attic when I heard Violet storming up the stairs and slamming her door shut." She gave Draco a knowing look. "What did you do?"

"Nothing," he replied airily. "Just doing my duty as a father and protecting my daughter."

"And by _protecting _her, you mean...?"

"I read her mail."

Astoria huffed an irritated sigh and slapped a hand to her forehead. "Oh Draco, you didn't!"

"I did."

"No wonder she's so angry with you. That was just despicable!"

Draco shrugged and returned to his reading. "Perhaps. But she'll thank me one day when she's older and understands."

"Or she'll grow up to resenting you for being so invasive!" Astoria sat down across from her husband and took the paper from his hands. "Draco, you need to stop this madness. You hovering over her is only going to make her rebel even more. You need to lighten up."

_"Lighten up?" _Draco sneered. "I certainly will not _lighten up, _Astoria! This is my daughter we're talking about here! My beautiful thirteen year old daughter that has boys chasing after her all the time! I refuse to lighten up and allow my child to be out of control!"

"Draco, I understand how you feel. She's a teenager now and those are really tough years for you and for her. But keep in mind that she needs some space to figure things out—"

"And I know just what she'll be _figuring out, _and I won't have any of it. No, not my daughter. I refuse to be a grandfather until I'm ready!"

"And that will be when?"

"When I'm dead!"

Astoria rolled her eyes. "Now that's just ridiculous, Draco! Do you really expect her to stay a virgin forever and never have a family of her own?"

"That would be lovely, yes." Draco said.

She shook her head. "You're being ridiculous. Besides, Violet's a bright girl. I'm sure she's not doing anything like that right now and when she does I know she'd be smart enough to use protection."

Draco cringed. "Maybe, but boys are very manipulative, Astoria. Even the strongest and smartest of girls will fall for any stupid excuse not to be safe when they think they're in love." He continued more insistently when Astoria gave a small eye roll. "You know it's true, Tori! Hormonal teenagers can be very persuasive, especially the boys! Do you know how many times I convinced a girl not to use protection by uttering phrases like 'I love you' and 'It feels better this way'?" I was reckless! Anything could have happened, and I don't want to risk anything with my children. I refuse to let my daughter get into a situation that will change her life forever! Especially with that Thomas boy! I'd just as soon pitch myself off of Big Ben before I share a grandchild with Dean Thomas!"

Astoria giggled but shook her head at her husband. "Oh, Draco! I'm telling you there's nothing to worry about right now. Anyway, at least there are enchantments at the school to prevent that sort of thing so you won't have to worry about it when she's at Hogwarts."

Draco scoffed and swatted away this comment with a motion of his hand. "Oh please! Those are just a scare tactic. Do you know how many times I had sex at school?" He shook his head. "Those enchantments are shit. If you know the right locations you can get away with pretty much anything."

"Really?" Astoria inquired, her head titled and perched on her palm like a curious bird. "Like where?"

"Somewhere where no one ever goes or can't have access to, the Room of Requirement being an example. Or the restricted section of the library, if you can dodge Madame Ponce." Draco explained. "An empty class room would do just as well. Or even the Prefects bathroom or the changing room at the Quidditch pit. I've even had girls in my dormitory after lights out."

"Have you really? How'd you get away with that one?"

He shrugged. "It's the easy, really. The boys are prevented from entering the girls dormitory but the girls aren't prevented from entering the boys dormitory. So all she had to do was come on up and crawl into my bed. Simply closing the curtains and casting a quick silencing charm does the trick."

"Oh my my, you were a busy boy in school, weren't you?"

"They didn't call me the Prince of Slytherin for nothing." Draco said with a smirk. "I learned from the best, though. The older guys in the House have this tradition of passing down all the sexy little secrets to the younger blokes when they enter Third Year. That's why I know that Thomas boy is up to no good! He's probably learned all the tricks and secrets from his house mates—and from his father! Thomas was always a sly bastard. His son probably has some grand master plan to get Violet alone..."

"Oh, Draco! That doesn't mean his son is like that. According to Daphne he's a decent young man—"

Draco scoffed and took a long sip of his tea. "I see right through his good boy act! You should have seen how he had his big mitts all over my daughter when I walked in on them snogging a couple of years ago! If I hadn't interrupted who knows what could've happened!"

Astoria once again rolled her eyes and threw her hands up in frustration. "My point is, Draco, you're taking things a bit too far. You have to trust your children at some point."

Draco chuckled condescendingly at his wife. "I believe you're forgetting who we're talking about, dear. This is a _Malfoy _child! We have to keep at least five steps ahead of her or else she'll run amuck. Give her an inch and she'll take a mile!"

Astoria sighed and conceded. "Alright, Draco. You'll have to find things out the hard way, I guess. But if it'll make you feel any better I'll give her...you know..._the talk." _

"That would be grand, dear." Draco stood up from the table and kissed his wife on her cheek. "I love you."

"You better." Astoria replied sulkily. She gave Draco a menacing look before heading up to her stepdaughter's bedroom to have the most awkward conversation of her life.

O-O

Violet was still fuming about her father's dastardly deed even twenty-five minutes after the fact. She was storming around her room and ranting to her black cat Ptolemy while he lay stretched across the foot of her bed.

"I can't believe him! What gives him the right to go searching through my mail and to read my letters? I doesn't matter that he's my father, that's still over the top! What a jerk! What right does he have to tell me who I can go out with and who I can talk to—"

A knock at the door ended Violet's ranting. She yanked the door open and was surprised to find her stepmother standing on the other side.

"What are you doing here?" Violet asked with unintentional rudeness.

"You sound surprised." Astoria replied coolly.

"Maybe that's because you've never came to my room before."

"Well, there's always a first time for everything, isn't there?" Astoria said, doing her best to keep her voice calm.

"I guess." said Violet. Her brown eyes were narrowed into slits and glaring rays of suspicion at the witch standing opposite. "What do you want?"

"Actually, I was hoping to have a word with you." Astoria answered with an uneasiness in her voice. "May I come in?"

Violet's gut was starting to tingle with a terrible sensation that told her that she was about to regret ever opening her door in the first place. But she stepped aside to let Astoria in and closed the door. As Astoria settled herself awkwardly on an ottoman, Violet sat herself on her bed where her wand was just a few inches away for easy access.

Astoria took a deep breath and started in immediately. "Since we're both very direct people I might as well not beat around the bush and just come straight out with it." Her words came quickly and her voice was slightly higher pitched. Violet fingered her wand anxiously as Astoria spoke. "Your mother is no longer with us so I feel it is my duty as your stepmother to talk to you about certain aspects of life. Now that you're a teenager and getting to that age when you're interested in dating, I think it prudent that we have a discussion about s-sex."

Violet was instantly mortified. She normally had no problem with sensitive matters such as the subject of sex. She never so much as blinked when she overheard conversations between girls at school bragging about their liaisons with their boyfriends. But talking about this with her _stepmother _was extremely uncomfortable for Violet. Somewhere in the childish recesses of her mind she still wanted to believe that her parents never had sex and she was delivered by a stork.

"Oh God, no!" Violet cried. "No, no, no! No, this conversation will not happen!"

Astoria's face was a little pink. She took another shaky breath before she spoke again. "Violet, this is really important—"

"There's really no need. I know what sex is. I've read books, you know! I know the necessary ingredients and proper procedure on how to brew a contraceptive potion. I know about those Muggle pills and those condom things—I know all the risks of sex, thank you very much!"

"Then you also know that you don't have to have sex to have a boyfriend? You can always say no. And you should wait until you're truly ready and with someone special that you really love and care about. A-and he has to feel the same way about you! I mean, I understand the urge to sneak off with a boy for a romantic interlude by the lake or something, but—"

"Good Merlin! What the hell do you people think I'm going to be doing while I'm at school?" Violet wailed. "I'm _not _having sex! And if I was I'd know how to take care of birth control myself and I wouldn't sleep with just anyone!"

"That's good to know." Astoria said frostily.

"Good! Now you can go run and tell my father all about our little chat!" She jumped up from the bed and yanked the door open for Astoria to leave. "And while you're at it you can also tell him that I know he's been snooping through my room as well!"

Astoria promptly left in a huff, ignoring the sharp breeze when Violet snapped the door shut behind her.

O-O

Violet arrived at the Goldstein-Patil residence by the Floo precisely at five-thirty on Friday evening. She was greeted by an enthusiastic Selena and, to Violet's utter annoyance, a yappy little teacup Yorkshire Terrier wearing a pink bow and a tutu.

"Violet! How are you?" Selena exclaimed as she hugged her roommate.

"I'm alright? You!" Violet asked as she hugged her back.

"I'm very well, thank you." Selena looked down at the small dog that was at her feet and barking at Violet. "You be quiet, Mimi! Violet is our friend!"

The dog called Mimi immediately quieted after her owner's scolding. But she still was wary of the newly arrived guest, keeping her tiny black eyes on Violet and circling her like a beast.

"Charming little dog you have there," Violet commented as she stared back at Mimi. "Love her bow and tutu."

Selena, seemingly not picking up on the sarcasm, smiled proudly. "Thanks. She picked out the tutu herself!" She scooped up the tiny canine and kissed it's little face. "Do you have any dogs, Vi?"

"No, just Ptolemy and a few owls." said Violet. "Your home is very lovely, by the way."

"Oh, thank you!" Selena beamed, following Violet's eyes as they swept over the living room. "Would you like to see my room?"

"I'd love to." Violet smiled.

Selena picked up Violet's weekend suitcase with her free hand and lead her to her bedroom. Violet was immediately overwhelmed with all of the pink and frilly in the room. She had to blink a few times to get used to it.

"Where's the rest of your family?" Violet asked when she noticed the still quiet of the house.

"Oh," Selena said as if she too had just noticed. "Well Sonia is at Jessica Nott's house. Dad is out of town for a week on a business trip and Mum had an emergency at St. Mungo's so she had to leave. So we're pretty much on our own until Stephen gets home later."

"An emergency at St. Mungo's? What kind of emergency?" Violet asked nervously. Her mind instantly went to her grandfather laying in a coma at the wizarding hospital.

"It's nothing to do with your grandfather, I swear!" Selena quickly amended when she saw the look of concern on Violet's face. "She said something about a pregnant woman with labor complications."

Relief broke over Violet's face. "Oh thank goodness! For a moment there I thought—" _No, I won't go there, _Violet thought. _Not today. _Instead she changed the subject to avoid an emotional display. "Which electives did you choose this year?"

"Care of Magical Creatures and Divination." Selena answered. "Aunt Parvati said Divination is a fascinating subject. She says she saw loads of things when she took the class in school! I hope I'll be able to see some things. You might not know this about me, Violet, but I'm a bit of a psychic myself! I can see the future."

Violet gave an involuntary laugh. "You _what?"_

"I can see the future," Selena repeated. "Well, at least _some _of the future."

"How much of the future?"

"Not much, but I have a specific talent for predicting marriages."

Violet crossed her arms over her chest and stared at Selena questioningly. "How?"

"I'm not certain but I believe I inherited it from my great great grandmother on my mother's side—"

"No, I meant how do you predict these marriages. How is it done?"

"Oh! Well, it's not necessarily something that one can do on command. It's more of a _feeling, _you know? Like when I'm in the same room with two people and I can just feel that they're meant for each other. I get that feeling when you and your future husband are in the same vicinity." She added with a snowing quirk of her eyebrow.

"Let me guess," said Violet. "My future husband is Ty?"

Selena grinned and nodded. "Of course."

"Oh, Merlin!" Violet groaned. She fell back on Selena's bed and raked her fingers through her curls.

Selena joined her on the bed and propped herself up on her elbows. "You do miss him, don't you? Be honest!"

"I'm always honest," said Violet. "And yes. I guess I do, a little."

"He misses you too, you know. He just won't admit it."

Violet scoffed. "I guess it would be quite difficult to admit when his tongue's jammed down Annaliese Fox's throat." Her voice was laced with resentment and a trace of venom, which prompted Selena to grin widely.

"Why don't you just talk to Ty and straighten this whole thing out? It may take some gentle coaxing but I'm sure he'll be willing to talk about it and work things out."

"It doesn't matter anymore, Sel." Violet said with a shake of her head. "It is what it is. There's nothing I can do about it now so let's just leave it alone, alright?"

Violet's pessimism and blatant unwillingness to try to make up with Ty did nothing to dampen Selena's high spirits. Instead she shrugged her shoulders and picked up a fashion magazine from the floor. She flipped through it quietly for a few minutes, occasionally glancing at Violet out of the corner of her eye. When the latter was seemingly calm and relaxed, Selena decided it was the right time to give her the bit of news she had been holding in since her visit to her Aunt Parvati's home two weeks before.

"By the way, Ty's been made a Prefect."

Violet ceased thumbing through the magazine in her hands and stared wide-eyed at her friend. _"What?" _

"Ty's been made a Prefect this year," Selena repeated cautiously. "As well as Dominique Weasley and Annaliese Fox for Hufflepuff."

A loud and miserable groan escaped from Violet's throat that could be felt in her gut. She buried her face into Selena's white silk duvet and kicked her feet like a cranky toddler. "No! No! No!"

"Relax, Vi! It isn't that bad!"

"Oh, but it is! I've managed to piss off a Prefect that has the power to deduct points and assign detention!" Violet moaned. "Just kill me now!"

"Oh come on, Ty isn't _that _spiteful that he'd give you detention for no reason!" Selena reasoned.

"I know, but he still holds a position of authority over me and I just hate that!" Violet grumbled.

"It won't be that horrible of thing, Violet. If you two ever make up he can assign you detention in an empty class room and snog your brains out."

She gave Violet a wink that made her roll her eyes. "That doesn't exactly help, Sel."

Selena giggled and shrugged her shoulders. "Oh well, it's nothing to worry about right now. Let's go downstairs and get something to eat! Mum left us a casserole in the oven for supper and ice cream in the refrigerator for dessert."

"Yes, let's please go eat."

Violet peeled herself from Selena's bed and followed her to the kitchen, anxiously waiting for the cold confection that would temporarily numb the sharp pains in her chest.


	3. The Plan

A beautiful Saturday morning in late summer was one of Diagon Alleys busiest days. The shops were packed with customers buying last minute school supplies and clothing for the upcoming autumn weather. Parvati and Lavender's clothing store was even more crowded than usual that day, with school aged girls stocking up on under garments for the school year and women of various ages taking advantage of the late summer sales.

Ty Thomas had been rather excited when his mother asked him to work at the shop for the summer. The prospect of earning extra galleons _and_ spending his days surrounded by womens intimate clothing and eager teenaged girls initially appealed greatly to him. But his enthusiasm had dwindled within the first two weeks of his employment. The store was always busy and everyday it seemed like the work would never end. Seeing his mother's friends—the _mothers_ of most of his friends—carefully picking out their lingerie and excitedly discussing that night's plans made Ty the most uncomfortable he had ever been in his life.

With a little over a week left of his employment, Ty was exhausted. It was a little past one o'clock in the afternoon and Ty was currently being accosted by a middle aged witch, who was holding up two different negligeés and asking which color looked best on her.

"The black one or the green one?" The witch asked impatiently, holding each one up to her body one at a time so Ty could get a better look.

Ty's cheeks were burning with a blush and he stammered an answer. "I...err...um...the-the...um...I..."

He couldn't have been more grateful at that moment when his mother came to his rescue.

"The green looks fabulous on you, ma'am." Parvati said with a soft smile.

"You're right, it does!" The witch said. "Thank you."

The witch went to the cash register and Parvati turned to her eldest son. "You alright, sweetheart?"

"Yeah, I'm alright." Ty said with a nod.

Parvati smiled softly and placed a gentle hand on her son's cheek. "You've been working really hard today, sweetheart. Why don't you take a break for an hour or two, yeah? Get yourself something to eat or buy something nice for yourself. Alright?"

Ty nodded and lowered his head so his mother could kiss him on the cheek. She stuffed a few galleons in his hand before sending him off for his break.

The fresh air felt amazing, even if it was humid and stuffy. His stomach gave a loud grumble and he was suddenly aware of the fact that he hadn't eaten anything that day except for a small bowl of oatmeal early that morning. _Food first, _Ty thought. His stomach grumbled in agreement and he took off in search of food. He looked around the alley for a moment and decided that pizza would be nice.

Ty entered the brand new pizza shop and got himself a personal pizza and a soda. Normally he made an effort not to eat junk and to keep a healthy diet, but in his current state of hunger and exhaustion he didn't much care if the pizza he was gobbling down was healthy or not. Half-way through his meal he heard the shop door open and the familiar voices of two teenaged girls. Ty didn't have to turn around and look at the girls to know that the voices belonged to his cousin Selena Goldstein and his somewhat of an ex-girlfriend, Violet Malfoy.

He didn't know why on earth he was suddenly so self-conscious and nervous. After all, he had spoken to both of the girls countless of times and he knew them pretty well. But Ty found himself sitting as still as possible and hoping they would not notice him. He chewed slowly and quietly as he listened to order their pizzas, Selena her Hawaiian style pizza and Violet her meat lover's pizza with everything on it.

Ty stayed silent as he listened to them eat and chat about some magical cosmetic store they had just been to. The girls appeared to have yet to be aware of his presence, and Ty briefly wondered if he should go over and say hello. But that thought quickly dissolved when Ty remembered his last conversation with Violet. He remembered how the girl he had fallen so hard for and would have given just about anything to rejcted him and treated him like some stranger. He remembered crying silently in the Astronomy Tower after she broke his heart nearly one year ago.

Violet wasn't worth feeling this way, Ty decided with a shake of his head. She didn't deserve his heart. She didn't deserve to be thought about while he was kissing his girlfriend. Violet didn't deserve him. He wouldn't let her take over his life.

Ty quickly finished his meal and left the pizza shop in pursuit of his girlfriend.

He found Annaliese standing outside of the Owl Emporium where she worked, apparently on a break. Her blue eyes lit up when she saw him and she quickly put out the cigarette she was smoking to run and embrace him.

"I missed you." Ty said into her ear. He buried a hand in her straight red hair and placed a gentle kiss on the tip of her freckled pointed nose.

"Close, but I think you need to aim a little lower." She said with a giggle and pointed to her mouth.

Ty chuckled and bent down a little to press his lips to her's. The taste of nicotine was still fresh on her lips and breath but Ty ignored it. He needed this right now. He needed to be kissed and held. So what if Annaliese wasn't exactly the girl he needed this from? She was a nice girl with a good heart that really cared about him and _wanted_ him. It was a comfort that he was willing to live with.

"Can we go out tonight?" Ty asked when they broke for air. "To see a movie or something?"

Annaliese nodded. "I'd love to go out tonight, yes."

Ty smiled. "Perfect!" He lifted her hands to his lips and brushed his lips over her knuckles. "I can't wait until tonight."

He kissed her again, deep and lingering. She involuntarily moaned into his mouth and her knees nearly buckled.

"Keep this up and I just might take you behind the shop and take advantage of you."

"Well, I've got another hour to kill." Ty said suggestively with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

Annaliese did not hesitate. She seized her boyfriend's hands and together they ran into the alley behind the emporium.

Violet stared after them with a scowl on her face and an intense stinging sensation in her heart.

O-O

The sharp clicking of Mandy Nott's heels echoed throughout the halls of Nott Manor as she made her way down to the cellar. She knocked on the door one time before letting herself in. Theodore did not look up from his work when his mother entered the room.

"Well, I'm about to leave for the night." Mandy said to her son. "Your father and sister still in Berlin and won't return until morning. So I'm trusting you to look after the house and Violet, alright?"

"Alright, Mother." Theodore said with the sharpest edge of annoyance in his voice.

Mandy frowned a little at her son's dismissal of her but kissed his forehead anyway before leaving the cellar. Violet was sat beside Theodore. Her brown eyes were dull but alert, lethargically staring around the cellar and taking in her surroundings.

Violet had never been to the Nott Manor cellar before. It was the same size as her own family's cellar, except that it was better lit and much less damp. It also at some point had been turned into some sort of labratory. Cauldrons topped every table surface, large shelves were stocked with jars of potion ingrdients. Violet briefly wondered how many freakish science experiments Theodore had done down here.

"Are you alright?" Theodore asked her as he flipped through a notebook.

"Hm? Oh, I'm fine."

"You don't look fine." Theodore replied, glancing up at her. "You've hardly spoken a word all day and you look as if you've lost your best friend. That's strange for you."

Violet shook her head. "Really, I'm fine. I'm just a bit tired is all. Sarah taught me how to use a crossbow today. It was fun but put some strain on my arms. I'm not used to it, you see."

Theodore stared at her impatiently as she rattled on about the invention of the crossbow and fiddled with an old cauldron. He noticed the way she was keen to avoid eye contact and kept rubbing at her chest as if something inside was bothering her. Theodore wasn't exactly an expert on female emotions but he was certain that she was either very ill or heartbroken.

"This sudden change in demeanor wouldn't have anything to do with Ty Thomas and Annaliese Fox officially becoming an item, would it?" Theodore asked, watching Violet's actions intently for any signs of distress.

And Violet did not disappoint. Theodore noticed the hitch in her breath and the pulse throbbing in her jaw. _Yes, heartbreak is the case, _Theodore thought.

"No, of course not." Violet replied. He also noted that her voice grew higher pitched and increased in volume. "Why would I be? I don't care what they do. I've got my own business to attend to."

Theodore bit the inside of his lip to stop himself from laughing. This side of Violet was rather amusing. Never in a million years did he think that he would ever see Violet Malfoy this obviously upset over a boy—over _Ty Thomas, _of all people. Someone more intelligent and less of a sappy goody two-shoes, perhaps. But Ty Thomas? It was downright hysterical. They had absolutely nothing in common, and in his opinion she was way out of his league.

Theodore miraculously managed not to laugh and instead flipped the noteook pages to thepage he was looking for. "Alright, then. Let's get to work, shall we?"

"Let's!" Violet joined her mentor in front of the table and peered at the notebook page. "What are you teaching me today?"

"How to make my special sleeping powder." He answered.

Violet arched an eyebrow. "Oh, really? What's so special about it?"

"What's so special is how potent it is. Inhaling only a small amount of this stuff will knock you out for about three hours—a day and a half with a handful. Unlike sleeping potions, the powder is faster and easier to inject into your target. It's also easier to conceal and is more powerful. The real kicker is the seeds of the Cherry Plum, Impatiens and White Chestnut flowers. Combine them and you get the most peaceful sleep you've ever experienced."

"Interesting." said Violet. "But may I ask how you came to discover this special powder of yours?"

"Experimentation. Lots of trial and error." He explained with a shrug of his shoulders. "Now let's begin. Can you please retrieve the dried nettle leaves and caterpillars from the shelf over there?"

Violet nodded and gathered the ingridients from the shelf while Theodore collected the flowers. When they had the necessary ingredients in front of them Theodore set the page with the instructions in front of Violet and set her to work.

"So, how are you and my cousin doing, anyway?" Violet asked as she began crushing the nettle leaves and dried caterpillar corpses in the mortar.

"Oh, we're doing quite well. I had dinner with your family for the first time last night."

Violet giggled. "I take it things didn't go well?"

He shrugged. "It was completely tense and awkward and your uncle glared at me the entire time but other than that it wasn't too bad. Could've been worse."

"You're right. Uncle Michael could have interrogated you until you cried."

Theodore scoffed. "I doubt he would have reduced me to tears—throw that in the cauldron and start on the flowers."

Violet did as she was told and dumped the finely ground nettle leaves and caterpillars into the lowly heated cauldron. Theodore handed her the flowers and retrieved a bottle of wormwood from a shelf.

"You don't know my uncle," said Violet. "He can be unspeakably cruel when he wishes to be."

"Hmph." He turned his nose up at this thought. "Speaking of unspeakable cruelty, have you any actual idea on just how you're going to kill Maxine Croft? By magical means or by your very own hand?"

"Both." said Violet. "I'll subdue her little Squib minions with magic to hold them—this sleeping powder might do the trick—while I take care of Maxine. I plan to take my time with her. I think she deserves a death a kin to my mother's, except slower and more agonizing."

"Hmm..." Theodore said. He watched Violet with keen interest as dumped the crushed flower seeds into the cauldron and added three drops of wormwood. "Care to elaborate?"

Violet smirked wickedly. She turned off the flames underneath the cauldron and approached Theodore sowly. "There's a vein in the chest that carries a large supply of blood to the heart. It's right underneath here—" Violet touched a finger to his breast bone. "It's difficult to get to but once you sever it, the effects are amazing."

Theodore quirked an eyebrow. "Really?"

Violet nodded. "Puncture it and you begin to bleed out. Leave the knife in, and you'll bleed out slowly. Very slowly." She withdrew from Theodore to check on the powder.

"Wow," said Theodore. His green eyes were beaming with a sickening interest. "That sure is a brutal way to die."

"Oh, yes. It is. Feeling the life leaving your body. Terrible death, that is." said Violet. "But can you think of no one else who deserves such a death?"

"No." Theodore admitted.

He couldn't stop staring at her. Her already dark eyes were now even darker, and glittering with a malice and determination that Theodore had never seen before. It was dark. It was a disturbing and twisted obsession. It was purely _Black._

"So this is finished, right?" Violet asked as she peered into the cauldron.

"It should be, yes." Theodore moved forward to inspect the powder. His thin fingers ran themselves over the powder and rubbed a pinch between his fingers. "Finely ground. Cool to touch. Yes, it's finished. Good work, Violet. It's perfect."

"Thank you." Violet beamed proudly. "It looks like sand." She commented as she watched him pour the cauldron's contents in a small pouch.

"Ironic, isn't it?" He said. "You know, if you believe in the whole Sand Man thing."

"Hmm."

"Now all what's left is to test it." Theodore said.

"Alright," said Violet. "Who will we use as a guinea pig—"

Theodore was swift. He gathered a small amount of sleeping powder and blew it in Violet's face. There was first the comforting smell of cinnamon and sugar, and then the rapid onset of sleep. Theodore caught her in his arms and carried her to his sister's room to sleep.

"Rest now, Violet. It's the only. Peaceful sleep you'll get for quite a while."


	4. Sibling Squabbles & Party Crashers

The evening before the party at Mr. Winters' university, Violet found herself standing in front of her mirror and obsessing over her hair. She tested various hairstyles for the celebration the following evening. She tried wearing it up, wearing it down, wearing it straight and wearing it naturally curly, but no matter the style she still wasn't happy. She was just about to try another updo when there was a shy knock on her door.

"Come in." Violet called from her position on the other side of the room.

A second later Scorpius slipped through the door and shut it as quietly as he could.

"Oh good it's you, Scorp." said Violet. "Come over here for a moment. I need your opinion on something."

Scorpius came forward and looked at her inquisitively. "What about?"

"My hair." said Violet. "How should I wear it for tomorrow night? Up? Down? Natural? Straight?"

She shifted her hair around to demonstrate the various styles. Scorpius tapped a forefinger to his chin as he thought.

"Well, if you're going to be wearing that blue dress over there I think you should wear it up. The dark hue will probably clash with your hair. Straight would nice." Scorpius concluded.

Violet turned back to the mirror and pulled her hair up. She stared at her reflection for a few moments before nodding her approval. "You're right, Scorp. I can't believe I didn't come to that conclusion before! Good call."

She left the mirror for the first time in hours and flounced over to her dress. Scorpius watched as his sister delicately set out her outfit for the next night's event. He could feel a lump in his throat forming around the words he wanted to say. Violet was in a good mood, and he did not want to sour it and in turn suffer her wrath. But the burning in his belly wouldn't allow him not to say what was on his mind. He just hoped that the burning would be enough to muster the confidence he needed to confront his sister.

"Just spit it out, Scorpius."

Scorpius started. "Huh?"

"Whatever you want to talk about. Just spit it out." Violet looked over her shoulder and gave Scorpius a knowing look. "You came in here for a reason. What is it, kid?"

"First off, _don't_ call me _kid! _You're not much older than me, you know." Scorpius said with a frown. Violet rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to smoothing out any wrinkles in her dress. "And I wanted to talk to you about Arthur and this...this..._date _tomorrow night."

"First of all, it isn't an actual date!" said Violet. "I'm just going with him so he'll have someone to talk to during this boring party." She sat down across from Scorpius and crossed her arms over her chest. "And just what about Arthur?"

Scorpius took a deep breath. Violet was already getting defensive and that was never a good sign. Still, he plucked up enough courage to not shrink away from the upcoming confrontation.

"I don't think you should go tomorrow." Scorpius said.

Violet arched an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because Arthur fancies you," said Scorpius. "And you fancy him."

Her mouth fell open in disbelief. _"What?"_

"You two fancy each other." said Scorpius, trying to keep his voice even and steady. "So I don't think you should go."

"I _don't _fancy Arthur!" Violet stated firmly, staring into her brother's eyes to demonstrate how serious she was. "And he doesn't fancy me!"

"Sure could've fooled me, with the way you two carry on around each other!"

"Oh? And just how do we carry on around each other?"

"Oh come on, Violet! I see the way you two are always whispering and laughing and hanging out together! You're always flirting with each other _and _you've been practically inseparable all summer! I'm not stupid, you know. Everyone else knows there's something going on between you two, there's been gossip all summer!"

"Since when do you give a damn about petty gossip, Scorpius?" Violet retorted angrily. "And since when is my personal life any of yours or anyone else's business?"

"It is my business when your personal life starts to affect _me_!" Scorpius sneered.

Violet snorted with laughter. "How the hell does who _I_ choose to interact with effect _you?"_

Scorpius was now feeling just as defensive and hostile as Violet. He crossed his arms over his chest and sat up even taller. "Since you _obviously _have no idea what's going on outside of yourself, I'll have you know that's it's been _very _awkward for me having to be friends and roommates with Nate Thomas when you dumped his brother for Arthur! Have you any idea how dreadful it was for me to have to visit one of my best mate's and have dinner at the same table with your ex-boyfriend?"

Violet was quiet for a few moments. Her eyes were narrowed and burning rays of fury into her brother. "First of all, Ty was _never_ my boyfriend! Second, there's _nothing _going on between Arthur and I. We're just really good friends and the reason we've been spending so much time together is because we're learning how to defend ourselves from Maxine Croft! You know all of this, Scorpius! So I don't know why you're acting like such a bloody damn drama king!"

"I am _not _a drama king!" Scorpius nearly yelled. "And believe it or not you're actions affect the rest of us more than you know, _princess_!"

Violet had had enough of the conversation. She bolted up and wrenched open the door. "Mind your own business, _mummy's boy, _and get the hell out of my room!"

"Fine!" Scorpius nearly knocked the arm chair backward when he stood up to leave. "But do yourself a favor and keep your hands off of my friends or else!"

"Or else _WHAT, MUMMY'S BOY?!" _Violet screeched.

"Don't call me a mummy's boy!" Scorpius screamed back.

"What the hell is going on here?" Lucius Malfoy wobbled into the hallway, supported by his walking stick. He immediately wedged his way between his grandchildren to prevent a fist fight. "What's going on? Why are you arguing?"

Lucius was immediately answered with conflicting shouts of explanations for the argument. He shushed and waved them off until he regained control.

"That's enough! Both of you go to your rooms and don't come out until morning—_now!"_ Lucius demanded.

Violet and Scorpius exchanged scathing glances before storming off to their separate quarters. At that moment Narcissa came up the stairs, having been distracted from her knitting by the noise.

"Lucius? What's going on? What's wrong with the children?" She asked.

"Nothing, dear. Just another sibling squabble." He sighed and put a tender arm around his wife's waist. "Now I see why we only had _one_ child. Two would've killed me."

Narcissa laughed softly and snuggled into her husband. "Come, love, I'll make us a bit of tea."

O-O

Violet and Scorpius didn't speak the entirety of the following day. Not that the former minded much, as she was distracted by that night's celebrations. She spent an hour on her hair and makeup. She chose a midnight blue dress that was sleeveless and flouncy, kind of flirty but appropriate for summer. Violet selected a pair of black high heels that displayed the perfect amount of foot and heels. After an intense debate with herself she decided on a very simple jewelry set of small diamond earrings and necklace.

Even though Draco insisted on escorting his daughter to the Winters home via floo Network, Violet suggested they do things the Muggle way and take a car so the cinders from the fireplace wouldn't stain her dress. When Jonathan Winters opened the door he was utterly delighted to see Draco and Violet Malfoy.

"Draco! How are you? Long time, no see!" Jonathan shook Draco's hand enthusiastically.

"I'm...wonderful...err—" Draco had to take a moment to recall his name, but quickly rebounded. "Jonathan. How are you?"

Jonathan did not seem to notice the fumble and continued to smile. "Oh and Violet! Don't you look beautiful!"

"Thank you, Mr. Winters." said Violet with a smile. "Is Arthur ready?"

"Oh yes, he is! Come on in..."

The two Malfoys stepped inside. Jonathan called upstairs for his son and wife. Minutes later Arthur and Catherine Winters descended the stairs. Violet was a little taken aback when she laid eyes on Arthur. His suit looked perfectly tailored and fit him perfectly. His blonde hair had been cut and his already bright blue eyes seemed brighter than usual. She couldn't deny that he was handsome.

"Hello, Arthur. You're looking sharp this evening." Violet said when she and Arthur greeted each other.

"Thanks, so are you—at least I assume that you do." He replied with a lopsided smile.

Jonathan and Catherine smiled softly while Draco held back a groan.

"Well, I best get going." said Draco, becoming almost unbearingly uncomfortable with Violet and Arthur's banter and being in a Muggle home that smelled strongly of pine. "Your fireplace has been connected to the Floo Network so Violet can be transported home after the party."

The ever-curious Jonathan's face lit up at the mention of the wizarding term. Draco managed to avoid any questions by quickly saying goodbye to his daughter and disappearing in the fireplace, leaving Violet alone with the Winters'.

"Well," said Catherine. "The babysitter is upstairs with Charlotte so we can get going now."

A limousine was waiting outside, and the four piled in. The thirty minute car ride felt longer as Jonathan asked Violet question after question about the Floo Network and how wands worked. She answered each question politely, even though she was becoming increasingly irritated. But the questions served as a distraction and before they knew it their limousine arrived at Wellman University.

"So this is what a Muggle education building looks like?" Violet said as she stared curiously around the campus.

"Muggle?" asked Catherine.

"Non-magic folk," Violet answered. "What exactly is taught here?"

"Oh, all sorts of things." said Jonathan. "Psychology, art, journalism—about everything you can think of, really."

Her brown eyes widened. "It's all taught in this building?"

Jonathan chuckled. "No, dear. There are several buildings spread out around town. The reception is just being held in this particular building tonight."

"Oh."

The inside of the reception room was crowded and quite busy. A live band played softly in a corner while friends and colleagues greeted one another and chatted. Violet found herself shaking hands with stranger after stranger and trying to remember their names. She repeated the same false story about being Arthur's friend from an independent boarding school in Scotland and her father being a wealthy businessman until she felt her throat begin to dry up. By the time the ceremony began the faux smile that had been plastered on Violet's face the entire night began to hurt.

Violet never considered herself to be prejudiced. Her parents made it an effort to always tell her that blood status meant nothing, and that Muggles had their place in the world too. "They just live their lives differently, that's all," her mother wold say. And as Violet looked around the room, that statement couldn't have been more true.

She stared around the room as the dean of whatever gave his speech. Everywhere she looked Violet found fault in the "Muggle way" of life. There was a man with an awful cough somewhere in the room, the sound of the kitchen staff cleaning dishes and scurrying around to keep on schedule, and the microphone kept fading in and out. _Two simple charms and a cough potion would be really useful right now, _Violet thought.

She sighed and decided to at least _try _to look interested in what these Muggles were saying.

But halfway through the final acceptance speech an uncomfortable chills rolled down Violet's spine. She suddenly was very aware of her surroundings and that someone's eyes were intently upon her. Violet sat perfectly still for several minutes, hoping that her boredom had gotten the best of her and she was imagining things. But when she looked over at Arthur she knew it couldn't be so. He too was perfectly still and quiet, his eyebrow furrowed and his ears alert and listening.

"Do you feel that?" Arthur whispered to Violet.

She nodded. "Yeah, I do. Someone's watching us."

"We better get out of here."

Arthur slipped his hand over Violet's and together they managed to exit the reception room relatively un-noticed.

"Who the hell would have followed us here?" Arthur whispered as he and Violet found refuge in an empty hallway.

"Probably one of Maxine's people," sneered Violet. "She _would_ ruin an occasion like this!"

"Well, one of Maxine's people or not, we need to grab my parents and get out of here. Maybe we should contact the Ministry—"

The sudden sound of a man shouting interrupted Arthur's sentence. Violet and Arthur immediately ran toward the source of the noise, which lead them to an emergency stairwell. They burst through the door and nearly tripped over a gasping woman on the floor that wore a set of tell-tale purple robes. The resounding thunder of her assumed attacker's footsteps could be heard clearly as they attempted to escape.

Violet did not think twice. She leapt over the woman and chased after her attacker.

Arthur's protests were distant as Violet ran after the perpetrator. Pure adrenaline rushed through veins. She almost felt like a lioness chasing it's prey. All she could see was her prey's distant figure and smell their scent in the air. But they were too far ahead, Violet realized. She knew she'd never catch up unless she did something.

Acting on impulse, Violet pointed her wand at one of the small statues on the university grounds and made it explode. Her decision was rewarded when the man was hit with debris and fell to the ground with a painful grunt. Violet's senses ran wild as she closed in on the enemy, ready to claim her prize.

But the victory would never be hers. Before she could get to the man on the ground she was suddenly struck by a mysterious figure and fell to the ground and into unconsciousness.


	5. All The Help We Can Get

Violet opened her eyes and was blinded by a bright light. She snapped them closed again and groaned.

"Where am I?" She asked in a rough and nasally voice that sounded nothing like her. She tried to sit up but someone gently pushed her back down by her shoulders.

"Lay back down, Violet." said a voice somewhere above her. Violet recognized it as the voice of Padma Patil-Goldstein. "You're at St. Mungo's. You were attacked a few hours ago."

Violet's eyes flew open and once again she tried to sit up. "What? Who—The man! The man from the reception—he attacked that woman—"

Padma gently shushed her and tried to make her lay back down, but Violet would not comply. "Violet, please! You're in no condition to—"

"No, I need to go! I need to talk to Harry—_ow!" _The throbbing pain in Violet's head and neck made it's debut for the first time and made Violet fall back against the pillow. She groaned and massaged at her head. "I need to speak with Harry Potter or Ron Weasley. I need to tell them what happened."

"They're already here. They'll be in in a little while but first you need to take this potion for the pain." Padma gave Violet the bottle and watched as she drank it down. "You'll feel better in a few minutes. Just lay here and rest."

Violet did not protest. She settled into the soft pillow and shut her eyes as she waited for the potion to take effect. At some point she drifted off to sleep for an uncertain amount of time and woke up to angry voices coming from outside her room. The pain in her body was gone but she groaned when she realized who the voices belonged to.

"She was supposed to be protected!"

It was her father's voice, and she cringed when she heard who he was arguing with.

"We _had _security there!" retorted Harry Potter. "In case you haven't heard, they were taken by surprise and one of them nearly died—"

"It sounds like you need better security, then!"

"I agree with Malfoy for once," came the voice of Michael Marley. "We need better security. That's why I took matters into my own hands.."

A moment of silence then a shout from Draco.

"What the blazes are _you _doing here?" Draco shouted.

"I was _asked _to be here, Malfoy!" It was Dean Thomas.

"Yeah, so fuck off!" said the Irish lit of Seamus Finnigan.

Violet imagined her father's face was red and furious at this moment.

"You freckled little imp—" Draco started. But he was cut off by a frustrated sigh from Ron Weasley.

"Mike, why did you bring Seamus and Dean?" Ron asked.

"Because we're apart of this investigation!" Seamus said defensively.

_"What?" _Several voices said in unison.

"That's right," said Michael. "I've made Dean and Shane temporary Aurors for the Ministry."

_"Seamus!" _Mr. Finnigan hissed.

Harry and Ron went completely silent, but Draco didn't miss a beat.

"Oh, you've _got_ to be joking!" Draco said with a chortle. "_Finnigan _and _Thomas? _They're more incompetent than Potter and Weasley! We'd be safer in the hands of Filch!"

There was a burst of angry responses that was quickly disrupted by the deep, rumbling voice of Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"Is this really the time and place for this?" He asked in his baritone voice. "Enough of this bickering like children! We have important matters to deal with."

The sudden knock on the door startled Violet and she jumped a little. "Come in."

The door opened enough for the Minister to poke his head through. "Hello, Violet. Are you feeling up to some company?"

She nodded her permission. To her surprise, all seven men entered the room. Violet felt a little overwhelmed by the presence of them but kept her composure.

Draco was the first to fuss over her. "Are you alright, darling?"

"I'm fine, Daddy."

"You're not feeling any pain right now?" Michael asked.

Violet shook her head and put her hands up. "I'm fine, really! I can answer your questions."

"Are you sure?" The Minister asked.

"I'm sure," she looked him in his eyes with profound determination. "Ask me anything you want."

"Alright," he cleared his throat. "Let's start at the beginning, shall we?" He glanced at Ron, who had pulled out a small notepad and magical quill. "Did you notice anything strange when you arrived at the reception?"

Violet shook her head. "No. Not at first, at least. But halfway through I felt like someone was watching me."

"Watching you?"

"Yes, like staring at me—Arthur felt it as well. It was really uncomfortable so we decided to leave the room for a moment. We were talking in the hallway when we heard the scream."

"Who was screaming?" Michael asked.

"A man." Violet answered, sneaking a glance at the pad and quill that were suspended in the air and taking notes. "We went to find out what was going on and that's when we found the woman on the floor and the man was running away. So I chased after him."

"What did you do that for?" Draco asked. Violet shot him a look and he immediately shrunk back. "Sorry. I forgot it's a Gryffindor thing..."

Harry and Ron rolled their eyes.

"What happened next?" Michael asked.

"Well, he was way ahead of me and I knew I couldn't catch up so I...erm...blew up a statue to stop him." Violet said. "It worked and I was about to restrain him when I was blindsided."

"A blitz attack from the side!" Michael spat, utterly disgusted by this. "Pathetic!"

"Sarah told me they never do these things alone. I can't believe I didn't see this coming." Violet dropped her head in shame at her own perceived stupidity. "I'm such an idiot!"

"You are not, princess." Draco told his daughter.

"I am!" Violet whined. "I should've seen this coming! I mean, I knew they'd eventually come after me."

"No one could've saw this coming, Violet." said Harry.

Violet shook her head. "Not only did I not see this coming but I can't give you a proper description of the guy, either! All I saw was the back of his head."

"That could help." said Kingsley. "What can you tell us about him? Even the smallest of details could help."

She sighed. "He was white, kind of tall, with short dark hair. And the smell off of him! His cologne was very strong—smelled exotic, kind of like a foreign spice or something." Violet wrinkled her nose and shuddered at the memory. "And I never saw the second person, so that's all I can tell you."

"It could help." Kingsley repeated, although he didn't sound too convinced. "Well, we'll leave you to yourself now—"

Violet reached for the sleeve of his robe to stop him from leaving. "Minister, they didn't take my wand, did they?" Her heart pounded in her chest as she awaited his answer. The thought of her most prized possessions being stolen completely panicked her.

"Don't worry, Violet. They didn't take your wand." He answered with a soft smile. Violet sighed in relief. "But they did take your jewelry, I'm afraid."

Draco scoffed. "Those can be easily replaced."

The Minister shot Draco a side glance but held his tongue. "Well, I guess you're alright, then—"

"One more thing, Minister..." her brown eyes were suddenly shy and pleading. "I'm not going to be expelled from school, am I? You know, for the exploding statue and all..."

"Oh no, no!" Kingsley shook his head vigorously. "You were just defending yourself. And you and your friend Arthur saved a woman's life. If you two hadn't come along he could have killed her."

Violet smiled faintly. "She'll be alright?"

He nodded. "She will." He turned to his subordinates. "We should go. Goodbye, Violet."

Minister Shacklebolt and the others left the room, leaving Violet and Draco to themselves.

"You're sure you're alright?" Draco asked, running his fingers lightly over the small bandage on the side of her head.

"I'm fine," she replied. "Daddy, listen...I hope you're not mad at Jonathan or Catherine or Arthur. It's not their fault, I ran out on my own—"

He held up a hand to stop her speaking. "I'm not mad at them, sweetheart. How could I be? They're the ones that found you and had enough sense to contact the Aurors instead of the Muggle authorities."

"Hmm...Daddy, where is Arthur?"

"In the hall, I think."

"Will it be alright if I have a word with him?"

Draco furrowed his eyebrows. "I suppose. I'll just go out and get him..."

He kissed her forehead then left to find the boy. Minutes later Arthur entered the room, flanked by Sarah Croft. Arthur stumbled toward her bed and reached out for her hands.

"Violet are you alright?" He asked.

Violet rolled her eyes. "I wish everyone will stop asking me that! I'm alright. How are you?"

"I'm okay. I'm more worried about you, though." He frowned and looked terrible guilty. "I'm sorry all this happened, Vi! If I hadn't invited you and hadn't chosen to stay with the woman instead of following you this never would've happened!"

"No, you did the right thing," said Violet, giving his hands a comforting squeeze. "Speaking of the woman, who is she, anyway? I know she was sent from the Ministry to keep an eye on us tonight but I never found out what exactly happened."

Arthur shook his head. "I didn't get all of the details, but I do know that she noticed us leave and followed us, and that's when he attacked her from behind. He was strangling her with his arm before she got away. She got him in the eye with her wand to buy herself a moment. Then I guess you and I put a stop to his plan to kill her."

"Good thing too, because he surely would have killed her." said Sarah, speaking for the first time. "Maxine requires tenacity."

"So these people _were _Maxine's minions?" asked Violet.

"Yes." Sarah replied with a sad nod of her head. "Has to be. Their movements and behavior are from Maxine Croft's classic playbook of strategies."

"They were sent to kill me, weren't they?"

"I don't think so. They were most likely there to simply observe, but it didn't go according to plan. And the fact that they took your jewelry instead of your wand says that this was an act of survival, not one to kill and humiliate. The individuals are probably lower ranking or new to the family, and eager to prove themselves. They'll most likely pawn the jewelry for money to contribute to the family."

"And another thing," Arthur added. "The second attacker was a woman."

Violet looked over at him. "Really? How do you know?"

"The scent," he explained. "I picked up on a new scent. I immediately recognized yours and my parents', but there were also two foreign scents—one man and one woman."

Violet scoffed. "Wonderful." She released Arthur's hands and got out of the bed and attempted to pull her shoes on.

"Whoa, where are you going?" screeched Sarah. "Sit back down!"

"I'm going to go train, Sarah. All three of us are." Violet stated. "We need to fit in as much practice as possible before school starts again in two days."

"But—you just—"

"No if's, and's or but's, Sarah!" Violet snarled. "We _need _to get in more training, because I just decided that I won't just take down Maxine—I'm taking them _all _down!"

O-O

As soon as they left Violet's room, Kingsley Shackleolt started in immediately.

"We've no time to waste," he said. "Michael, you take Dean and Seamus and search the closest Muggle hospital emergency rooms for anyone with any injuries that would be consistent with being hit by bits of stone. Also if you could please contact Neville Longbottom in Austrailia—he needs to know what's going on."

"Right, Sir!" Michael said. "Let's go, men!"

The three marched out of the hospital with a defined sense of purpose.

"Sorry for asking," said Ron. "But why exactly does Neville need to know what's going on? He's not an Auror—and neither are Dean and Seamus!"

"I know," Kingsley replied. "But they really want to help and we could use all the help we can get at this point."

"And what do you want Ron and me to do, sir?" asked Harry.

"Come with me back to the office," he answered. "We've got to come up with a plan to stop these people and keep everyone safe. We got lucky tonight, but I have a feeling we won't be getting that sort of luck again."


	6. Awkward

It was that time of the year again. The first of September had arrived and that meant packing school trunks and sending children off for a new school year at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The Malfoy family were much more relaxed about the departure than they had been in previous years. With the First Year jitters out of the way, the family slept peacefully the night before and took their time getting to King's Cross. As usual the train station was crowded with people and buzzing with excited chatter. Goodbyes were said quickly and then the children parted with their parents in search of their friends.

It didn't take long for Scorpius to find Nate Thomas. Or rather, for Nate to find him.

"Oi, Malfoy!" Nate shouted from a distance not too far away. Scorpius turned to see his friend flailing an arm wildly to get his attention. Scorpius smiled and walked over to where Nate was standing with his family. "Check out my new pet!"

He opened his right palm to reveal a very plump and fuzzy creature with a small face and bright pink coloring.

"_What _is that?" Scorpius asked with the utmost feeling of distaste.

"A pygmy puff."

Scorpius burst into laughter. "A _pygmy puff? _Isn't that a little too _girly _for you, mate?"

"He's actually pretty cool," Nate said with a small shrug. "And he glows in the dark! I've decided to call him Pearl."

Once again Scorpius laughed at his friend's silliness. "But isn't Pearl a _girl's_ name?"

"Yes, but doesn't he remind you of Professor Pearl the choir teacher?" Nate held Pearl up so Scorpius could get a better look. "Look, he's all lumpy and pink just like her!"

Scorpius was inclined to agree.

"Mummy let me have a cat!" Ten year old Sophia pushed passed her brother and forced a small and fluffy white cat into Scorpius' hands. "Her name is Princess, and she's a lot cooler than that stupid pink fur ball!"

Nate snorted indignantly. "Yeah right, like anyone would prefer that boring and lazy lump of a cat over a glowing pygmy puff!"

"She's not boring and lazy!" argued Sophia. "And no one in their right mind would pick a pygmy puff over a sweet little kitten!"

"They would too!"

"Would not!"

"Would too!"

"Would—"

"That's enough!" interjected their mother, whose conversation with a friend had been interrupted by her children bickering. "You two stop arguing and say goodbye like civilized children."

"Alright," Nate turned to his sister with the most teasing of smiles on his face. "Goodbye, motor mouth."

"Goodbye, buttface!" Sophia shot back.

Parvati frowned but chose not to make them say goodbye nicely. Nathaniel and Sophia were as feisty as they came and could exchange insults for hours on end, but they didn't have that kind of time.

"Good enough." Parvati sighed. She hugged Nathaniel and kissed him goodbye. "I love you. Keep up with your school work and at least _try _to behave yourself."

"I'll try, but no promises." said Nate with a grin.

Parvati rolled her eyes. "Come on, Sophia. It's time to go."

"But I haven't said goodbye to Ty!" Sophia protested in a whine.

"Oh yes, I forgot. He's off doing his Prefect duties. Well, let's go find him..."

"Here you go, Sophia." Scorpius handed Princess back to her owner. "She's cute."

Sophia beamed at Scorpius. "Thank you!" She looked to her brother and stuck out her tongue at him. "I _told _you people prefer kittens to stupid pygmy puffs!"

"Yeah yeah, scoot along, will you?"

Sophia stuck out her tongue again then hurriedly trailed after her mother.

"Sisters!" Nate exclaimed with a dramatic sigh.

"I hear you!" said Scorpius. "Mine has been driving me bonkers lately."

"Lately? Sophia has been driving me bonkers my whole life!" Nate replied. "But speaking of your sister, how's Violet? I heard about what happened over the weekend..."

Scorpius suddenly felt pangs of guilt for talking bad about his sister after what she had been through a few days before. He lowered his eyes to the ground in shame and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "She's alright. They only kept her for a few hours at the hospital and she recovered quickly."

"Any idea who attacked her?"

Scorpius shook his head. "No. They know it was a couple of that Squib woman's people but they really have no way of identifying or finding them, so..." He shrugged solemnly.

"Oh man, that sucks."

"Yeah, it does."

The pair went silent for a while. They looked around the crowded train station for their friends until Nate spotted two of their roommates.

"Hey, there's Al and Frank!" said Nate. He pointed in their direction and Scorpius' eyes lit up deviously when he saw who they were standing with.

"Let's go retrieve them, shall we?" Scorpius said with a mischievous smile. He and Nate met up with their friends. Scorpius greeted Albus Potter, Frank Longbottom and Molly Weasley then turned to Rose Weasley with a cheeky smile. "Hello, Rose. Enjoy your summer?"

Rose's fists immediately clenched. Her parents were watching her closely, so she couldn't be rude to Scorpius in front of them. Judging by the smug look on his face, Scorpius was aware of this fact as well. So Rose had no choice but to muster up a smile and play nice. "Yes, I did. And you, Scorpius?"

"I had a wonderful summer, thank you for asking!" He replied with carefully measured enthusiasm.

"That's...great." said Rose, her fake smile turning into a grimace. "Mum, Dad...listen, we should really be getting on the train now."

Ron frowned and checked his watch. "You've still got another fifteen minutes."

"I know but the train is already filling up and I want to find a good compartment."

"Oh...alright, then." Hermione said with a hint of suspicion in her voice. "Well, give us a hug..."

Rose said goodbye to her family then lead the group towards the train. As soon as they were out of ear shot she scowled at Scorpius. "You're a slimy git, you know that?"

"Not as slimy as you." Scorpius shot back. "And what happened to your hair over the summer? It looks even more frizzy than usual. Did you stick your finger in a power socket before you came?"

Nate squeaked out a laugh while Molly, Albus and Frank slapped hands over their mouths to stop from chuckling. Rose's face turned red and she took an angry stance with her hands on her hips.

"You're one to talk!" Rose hissed. "Your hair looks like it would ignite a fire, it's so greased down!"

"Here we go again." Albus mumbled.

"Do you think they'll ever stop all this arguing?" Frank asked.

Molly shook her head. "Not until one of them dies or moves away."

Albus sighed and let the subject drop. "Has anyone seen Arthur?"

"Isn't that him over there with Violet and Lily?" Frank asked, pointing a finger.

"Yes, that's him." said Molly. "Arthur!" She shouted and waved her arms at him, beckoning him to join them. He turned in her general direction, but looked hesitant. After a moment he said an obviously hesitant goodbye to Violet and Lily then found his way over to them.

"Hey, guys." Arthur said when he reached them. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, just Scorp and Rose arguing." Frank answered. "You know, the normal."

Arthur chuckled and shook his head. "Those two just need to put on gloves and step into a ring to sort this all out."

The other three stared at him, confused.

"What does that mean?" Frank asked.

"They need to step into a ring," Arthur explained. "You know, like a boxing match?" When he was once again met with silence he shook his head. "Nevermind. It's a Muggle sport. We should get on the train now." He found Scorpius and clapped him on the back. "Let's get on the train, Scorp. You've got a quite a few hours to argue with Rose."

O-O

Violet had to search a little longer for her friends, but she was happy that she found Alice and Jess already together. She ran up to them and pulled them into a group hug.

"Where have you been all summer?" Alice asked.

"I could ask you the same thing, lady." Violet replied. "I haven't seen you for months! What have you been up to?"

"Traveling, most." Alice answered with a proud grin. "We've been to Greece, Switzerland, Florida, and we just got back from Australia!"

"Good Merlin! Why all the traveling?" Violet asked.

Alice shrugged. "I'm not really sure, to be honest, but Mum was very insistent on traveling this summer."

"Must've been nice." Jess said.

"Oh yes, it was great!"

"Lovely stories, I'm sure." said Violet. "You can tell us all about them on the train."

"Um...about that..." Alice guiltily lowered her eyes to the ground. "I already told Ashley I'd sit with her and Ben and James Potter on the ride to Hogwarts. I-I don't know if you know but she and James are dating now..." Alice blushed.

Violet glanced over at Jess and saw that she too was blushing. She gritted her teeth but kept her face neutral. "That's fine. Jess? Are you able to sit with me or did you make prior arrangements as well?"

Jess blushed an even brighter shade of pink and looked at Violet apologetically. "Sonia asked me to sit with her. She says she has something very important to tell me and that it's private..."

"I understand." Violet said in an almost constricted voice that was unlike her.

"You're mad, aren't you?" Alice asked sheepishly.

"No, I'm not mad." It was a lie, but Violet still managed to keep a calm demeanor. "Really, I'm not. I've got plenty of other people to sit with." Another lie.

"I'll come by to see you." Jess offered.

Violet shook her head. "No, it's alright. I'll see you two at school." She quickly hugged them goodbye for the moment and promptly left to find Selena.

As she searched she mentally cursed Hogwarts for imposing the pet carriage rule upon them and forcing all pets of any kind to be placed in a carrier and stored in a separate compartment of the train. Violet missed Ptolemy and could've really used his presence right now. With Alice and Jess sitting with other people and the small chance of finding Selena, she really could've gone for his company. She imagined she would be quite lonely in a compartment by herself.

This thought drifted to thoughts of Ty, and how he was quite good company. Those familiar butterflies began to wake in her stomach when she recalled his ramblings about his siblings, how nice his cologne smelled, how warm his hands were when they held hers, the look of sheer adoration and warm sincerity in his eyes when he looked at her...

_No! I'm not going to go there, _Violet thought. She stomped those stirring butterflies. _Ty doesn't want anything to do with me anymore. He's gone. He's gone and Jess and Alice have new friends. No sense in obsessing over things I can't change—_

Those were Violet's last thoughts before she was tackled to the cold ground by a red blur. It didn't take more than half a second to realize who had tackled her.

"Hi, Violet!" said a radiating Lily Potter.

"This has been happening since you were three and somehow I'm always taken by surprise when you do that." Violet pushed herself up in a sitting position with a groan.

"I'm sorry. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Violet insisted. "How are you, Lily? Have a nice summer?"

"Oh, yes!" said Lily excitedly. "But I can't wait until _next _summer, though! I'll be shopping at Diagon Alley for my school supplies!"

"Oh, that's right! You'll be going to Hogwarts nest year, won't you?" Lily nodded. "You'll be joining me at the Gryffindor table, right?"

"Of course!" Lily grinned.

"Having fun down there?" said a voice from above them.

Violet and Lily looked up to see Arthur standing above them.

"Loads." Violet laughed. She looked around her and met the peculiar stares of strangers who were most likely complexed as to why she and Lily were sitting on the ground. She got back up on her feet and pulled Lily up with her. "Lily, this is my friend, Arthur."

"I know," said Lily with a smile. "I met him over the summer when he spent the night at my house."

"Oh..."

Arthur smiled. "How are you, Lily?"

"Absolutely fabulous!"

Violet couldn't help but to giggle at Lily.

"I'm glad to hear that." Arthur said. He then addressed Violet. "Mind if I sit with you on the train tonight? I'm not really in the mood to hear your brother and Rose bickering or Nate's jokes."

Violet's heart soared with hope and relief. She was about to take him up on his offer when the sound of someone calling his name could be heard. She looked over his shoulder to see Molly Weasley signaling for Arthur to join them.

"Looks like your friends are waiting for you to join them." said Violet. Arthur's cheeks turned a little pink. "Go ahead and join them."

"But—"

"Really, you should." Violet insisted. "Or else they'll come looking for you later and they'll bring their squabbling and bad jokes with them. I like my train rides peaceful, thanks."

Arthur chuckled. "You sure?" Violet nodded. "Alright. Well...I'll see you later, then."

"Later." said Violet with a wave that Arthur couldn't see.

"He's cute," said Lily when he was out of hearing range. "You really _should _sit with him on the train." Violet laughed. "Why are you laughing? Don't you think he's cute?"

"I mean...yeah. He _is _kind of cute..." Violet admitted.

"Then I think you should date him. You'd make a really cute couple. We decided on that a few weeks ago."

_"We?"_

"Yes. _We—_me, Ava, Chloe and Sophia. We even gave you guys a couple name."

Violet stared dow at Lily with wide eyes. "A couple name?"

"Yeah, like a name that's a combination of both of your names."

"Oh yeah?" Violet raised an eyebrow, her face alive with amused anticipation. "And what name did you guys bestow upon us?"

"Varthur."

Violet doubled over with laughter. _"Varthur? _What the—wha—" She couldn't finish her sentence due to the inability to breathe from laughing so hard.

"Hey! It was the only option that worked!" Lily said with a hearty laugh of her own.

Tears were streaming down Violet's face and her sides ached from intense laughing. "I love you, Lily, I really do! You don't know how much I needed that laugh..."

Lily grinned and kissed Violet's cheek. "You're welcome, Violet. Now you better get your bum on that train before it leaves without you!"

Violet laughed again and hugged Lily. "See you later, kid. I'm sure going to miss you."

O-O

Violet didn't wait for the train to start moving before finding a compartment. She found an empty compartment and immediately drew the window shade.

"If I'm going to be here alone I might as well catch up on some sleep." She said aloud to herself.

Violet reached into her magical carry-on bag and pulled out a support pillow. She tossed it onto the compartment seat and then set herself down, stretching her body across the seats for comfort. She took out a small book of handwritten notes containing potions, charms and spells that Theodore had taught her over the past year. She was nearly finished reviewing a potion for hair loss when the compartment door slid open. Violet looked up from her notes to see a winded but pleased Selena Goldstein.

"I was looking all over for you!" said Violet. "Where were you?"

"Sorry. I got distracted by something." said Selena. She slid the door closed and plopped down across from Violet. "Where are Alice and Jess? I thought they'd be in here with you."

"Prior engagements." Violet replied abruptly.

This answer satisfied Selena and she grinned broadly. "Anyway, the absolutely funniest thing happened just as I was boarding the train!"

"Yeah?" Violet set the book down and grinned at Selena. "What happened?"

Selena cackled and moved closer to the edge of her seat to tell the tale. "Well, we arrived a bit later than planned so we had only five minutes to load our trunks and board the plane. So as we're about to board I spot Ty helping this tiny little First Year onto the train—" Violet's heart did a leap at the mention of Ty and his sweetness. "—and strutting towards the door Ty is helping out at in her ridiculously slutty high heels is miss hot shot, Brittany Sanders." Violet involuntarily scowled at the sound of her name. "So she's strutting her way to the train, totally trying to impress Ty who isn't paying even the _slightest _bit of attention to her her. Only she fails to notice that the ground is wet from people's muddy shoe prints. And then it happened..."

Violet's eyes were wide now with gleeful anticipation.

"Brittany..._slipped_." Selena said. "_Slid _on her bum across the floor and _crashed _into the bottom of the train door!"

Violet exploded into laughter. The image of Brittany Sanders falling on her bottom and sliding into the train played over and over again in Violet's imagination like a movie.

"Her skirt wound up above her waist and her thong got wedged up her arse—her _muddy _arse!" Selena continued through a laugh. "And Ty saw the _entire thing!"_

Both girls were howling with laughter now, doubled over on the compartment floor and shaking with their hilarity. It took them a while to realize that someone had opened the compartment door and was standing there watching them. They were suddenly startled to see the tall and dark figure of Hunter Beckett.

"I was on Prefect duty when I heard the noise, so I had to check in on you." He explained in his deep voice when the girls looked up at him questioningly. "But I see you ladies are just having a good time so I'll leave you alone..."

His dark eyes roamed over their red faces, lingering on Violet's face for a moment too long. He flashed a toothy grin in her direction before gently sliding the door shut.

"Uh...who was that and _why _was he looking at you like that?" Selena asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That would be Hunter Beckett, a new Slytherin Prefect." Violet explained. "He's one of Theodore Nott's friends. I met him at a party at Nott Manor over summer and he obviously took a liking to me."

"Hunter Beckett? I've heard of him. He and Ty almost got into a fight their second year after Beckett nearly took Ty out with a bludger during a Quidditch match. Ty absolutely despises him." said Selena. "Funny that he also has a thing for you..."

Selena had a playful glint in her eyes that suggested she was about to hint at a possible love triangle. Violet tried to counter this with a serious face but found that she couldn't be serious when Selena looked at her like that. The corners of her mouth twitched and then she was giggling.

"You're mad. You know that, right?" Violet joked. Selena pulled a funny face that made Violet laugh. "Here," Violet said as she retrieved a bag of sour gummy worms from her carry-on. "Fix your face and try these."

Selena took a yellow-colored worm and popped it into her mouth. The two girls sat like that for a while, eating sour candies on the floor of the compartment and talking about anything that came to mind. It was the most relaxed moment Violet had experienced in quite some time. The feeling was comfortable and familiar, like she had known Selena her entire life and they did this sort of thing all of the time. Even in the moments of silence there was no feeling of rush to fill the void.

Never in her life did Violet think that she would find a friendship as genuine and sure as the friendships she had with Jess and Alice. But in the two years she had known Selena, she found just how loyal and trustworthy she could be. Not to mention the fact that she was fun and more easygoing than Alice and Jess, open-minded and not judgemental. She was certainly one of Violet's closest friends, perhaps a very good candidate for one of her best friends. There was nothing thing with having three best friends, right? If Alice had Ashley and Jess had Sonia, Violet could certainly have Selena for a best friend.

"Sel, do you remember the plan we had first year to become animagi?" Violet asked.

"Yeah." Selena said, biting off half of the gummy worm.

"Well what do you think about actually getting that plan started?"

Selena's eyes widened. "Really? You're serious?"

Violet nodded. "Yeah. And this time I actually know how to get us started. I've been learning for nearly a year now, so I can teach you what I've learned so far and catch you up as I go alone."

Selena's eyes were lit with excitement and joy. "This is going to be so amazing!" She squealed. "But how have you been learning? On your own or with a teacher?"

"Don't tell anyone, but Theodore Nott's been teaching me."

The other girl's eyes widened even more. "_Theodore Nott? _But...But he's—"

"A snake?" Violet finished for her. "He is, but he's a damn good teacher. He's also been teaching me all sorts of spells and potions—look!"

Violet handed Selena the notebook. The latter looked amazed but bemused as she flipped through the pages.

"This is amazing, Vi! But why is he doing this for you? I mean, he doesn't strike me as the...friendly or generous type."

"He's not...but...well..." Violet took a deep breath and took Selena the story of her life over the past two years, everything from her mother's death up to the events of the past weekend. When she was finished Selena's eyes were the size of saucers and she was gaping.

"So..." Selena started slowly. "These people that attacked you were for sure her henchman?"

Violet nodded. "Without a doubt. They're getting bolder now. That's why there will be extra security at Hogsmeade and a third party handling our mail just in case—specifically mine and my cousin's."

"Wow."

"Yeah. Wow." Violet slumped against the seat and popped a candy into her mouth.

Selena was silent for a while, looking out of the window and seemingly taking it all in. Then, "Violet, what will you do when you finally do get to Maxine Croft?"

Violet swallowed slowly, taking her time to answer for she feared that Selena would run away. But she told the truth.

"She won't stop until she's dead."

She expected Selena to dash out of the compartment in fear and run for the hills, but instead Selena stayed and nodded her head slowly, like she understood.

"Well, it makes sense." Selena said. "We all do what we have to do to protect ourselves and our families." She sighed softly and retrieved another gummy worm.

Violet stared at her for a moment. "So that's it? You're not going to try to talk me out of it or run away in fear?"

Selena laughed. "Of course not! Like I said, we all do what we have to in order to protect ourselves. I'd probably do the same thing if I was in your shoes. So who am I to judge?"

Violet's heart swelled with affection for Selena. She put the candy bag down and hugged her. "You're my best friend, Sel."

Selena giggled and hugged her back. "I thought Jess and Alice were your best friends."

"They are, but so are you." Violet released her and picked up the gummy bag. "There's no law against having three best friends, is there?"

"No, but there is a law against having more than one wife." Selena said. "Did I tell you about this Muggle man in the Netherlands that got arrested for having five wives?"

O-O

"I can't wait to hear what the Sorting Hat has come up with this year!" Selena said excitedly as she and Violet entered the Great Hall for the feast and sorting off the new students.

"Me neither." Violet agreed. "His songs are always interesting."

The girls stopped for a moment to scan the table for a good place to sit. Violet was about to suggest two open spaces in the middle of the table when Selena grabbed her arm and walked them up further.

"This spot is _perfect!"_ Selena gushed, pointing to an opening more towards the head of the table. Violet's heart sank when she realized that the place was positioned right across from Ty.

"Damn it! Sel, no!" Violet whined. "I don't want to sit—"

"Oh hush up! This spot is perfect!" Selena whispered. When they reached the table Selena beamed and noisily sat down to make sure everyone nearby was aware of their presence. "Hello, Ty!"

Ty glanced up at his cousin and gave a lazy wave. "Hey, Selena." His eyes flickered over to Violet for a second, then lowered themselves to his folded hands. "Hello, Violet."

"Hi." Violet replied hastily, desperate to make an escape from this awkward situation. She lowered her voice to speak to Selena. "Maybe we can squeeze in between Arthur and Albus—"

Selena shook her head. "This spot is fine. Sit down!" She yanked Violet down into the seat next to her. "Oh wait—you should sit on this side!"

Before Violet could protest Selena sat on her other side, forcing her to now be sitting directly across from Ty. Violet rolled her eyes at Selena's blatant attempt to force her and Ty to have to look at each other during the feast.

"Very subtle, Sel." Violet mumbled out of the side of her mouth.

Selena ignored her. She continued to smile happily and force conversation. "So how was everyone's summer?"

"Fantastic," Violet grumbled sarcastically. She had only been sitting across from Ty for no less than a minute and already she was extremely uncomfortable. The nerves in her entire body were jumping and she felt the urgent need to bolt out of the Great Hall and hide under her bed. But Violet knew that would a ridiculous thing to do and she would only look like a fool if she did it. Instead she channeled her nervous energy through her fingers, drumming them on the table.

Ty knew her too well. He knew that when Violet Malfoy drummed her fingers it meant that she was nervous. He noticed the longing glances in Arthur's general direction and scowled. _Can't bear to be away from your little boyfriend for a whole hour, can you? _Ty thought bitterly.

"I wish they'd hurry up with the damn sorting!" Violet hissed.

"Geez! What's your rush?" asked Liam Finnigan.

"No rush, really. I...I just..." Violet struggled to come up with a plausible reason as to why she was so impatient and jittery. Thankfully she was spared from providing an answer when a very sour looking Brittany Sanders joined them at the table, flanked by two friends.

"Where the hell have you been?" Stephen asked his girlfriend.

Brittany smiled apologetically and kissed him. "Sorry. I had to go up to the room to change my clothes."

Violet and Selena caught each other's eye and bit back laughs. Once again the image of Brittany sliding across the train station floor played over and over again in Violet's imagination. She did her best not to laugh and to keep a straight face, but the longer she held it in the more it threatened to explode from within her. Finally, she gave in and began laughing out loud. Her laughter triggered Selena's, and soon they were both laughing uncontrolably at the Gryffindor table.

Several students stared at them questioningly, and even a few teachers glanced over at them to see where the hilarity was coming from.

"What's so funny?" Ty asked, his contorted with confusion. His eyes flickered between Violet and Selena, looking for an answer.

"N-nothing." Selena breathed.

"No, really. What is so funny that it has you two howling like hyenas?"

Neither girl answered. Instead they just laughed harder. Ty continued to stare at them, absolutely puzzled. He had never seen Violet laugh so much. He briefly wondered if she was laughing at him, but shook this thought from his mind when they glanced at Brittany and burst into a fresh round of giggles. _Oh, the train station incident, _Ty thought. _They must have seen it._

Ty laughed a little as well. Brittany's epic fail of a stunt _was_ hysterical, and he somehow managed to keep a straight face while she tried to recover and dig the thong from in-between her bottom. It was funny, but he didn't think it was funny enough to warrant such laughter. _Oh well, I guess that's just what girls do. _He shook his head and tried to think about something else while they waited for the First Years to enter the Great Hall. But he kept coming back to Violet.

Her cinnamon and sugar perfume kept grabbing his attention and drawing his eyes toward her. Her skin had darkened a little over the summer, and her hair had grown a bit longer. Her eyes were even more smoldering than usual with that makeup she had on. _Oh shit—she's wearing that lipstick I like._

Ty shook his head and tried to focus on something—_anything_—to keep his mind from straying toward the raven-haired she-devil sitting opposite him. He was never more grateful when the doors opened and the First Years filed in. Moments later the Sorting Hat's brim opened and it began to sing.

_Oh you may not think I'm pretty, _

_But don't judge on what you see,_

_ I'll eat myself if you can find _

_A smarter hat than me._

_You can keep your bowlers black, _

_Your top hats sleek and tall,_

_ For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

_ And I can cap them all._

_There's nothing hidden in your head _

_The Sorting Hat can't see, _

_So try me on and I will tell you_

_ Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor, _

_Where dwell the brave at heart,_

_ Their daring, nerve, and chivalry _

_Set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff, _

_Where they are just and loyal, _

_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_

_ And unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_

_ if you've a ready mind,_

_ Where those of wit and learning, _

_Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin _

_You'll make your real friends, _

_Those cunning folks use any means_

_ To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_

_ And don't get in a flap! _

_You're in safe hands (though I have none)_

_ For I'm a Thinking Cap!_

There was an applause at the finish of the song, and the sorting began. "Finally!" Violet grumbled. One by one the First Years were sorted until Dennis Wendall became a Hufflepuff. Violet was relieved when the boy sat down. _Just the feast and I can escape, _Violet thought. But her hopes were dashed when Headmaster Flitwick stood up to make an announcement.

"I just have one more announcement before we can feast," he called in his squeaky voice. He cleared his throat. "Since last year's final exam marks were the highest in five years, we've arranged a special treat for the entire school!" There was an instant buzz of excited chatter. "This Valentine's Day we will be having a special Sweetheart's Dance right here in the Great Hall!"

There was a split reaction to the news. A mix of groans and excited squeals filled the air. Violet was amongst the former, groaning as if she had just been given terrible news. At the Ravenclaw table Jess and Sonia were looking just as dismayed as Violet, while Alice and Selena were bubbling over with joy.

"Oh no." Violet mouthed.

"Isn't this so exciting?" Selena beamed. "We have to go shopping for new dresses! And find dates! I'll have to find someone of course but you and Ty can—"

She stopped short when she saw the frosty look on Violet's face. She looked across the table to see Ty and Annaliese grinning at each other.

"I think I've just lost my appetite." said Violet. "See you in the room, Sel."

Selena protested but Violet ignored her and promptly left the Great Hall, leaving Ty and the feast without a second look.


	7. The Woes of Parvati

With two of her three children off to Hogwarts and a very understanding husband willing to stay in for the night with their daughter, Ginny Potter had the idea to have a girls night out at the Leaky Cauldron. Almost all of her friends had shown up, including Lavender, who made the trip from Ireland. The women had their own corner in the pub close enough to watch the pub scene yet isolated enough so they could chat freely.

"I'm so glad summer is over," Ginny was saying. She breathed a sigh of relief and took a long sip of her beer. "I love my sons but they were driving me mad!"

Parvati agreed. "I hear you. My kids were off the wall this summer—except for Tyler, of course. He was never a rowdy child, but Nathaniel and Sophia!" She rolled her eyes. "Those two have been at each other's throats all summer."

"True," said Lavender. "I recall a July dinner that ended with Nate and Sophia chucking steak pieces and vegetables at each other."

Everyone laughed at this, even Parvati. She shook her head and took a long drag out of her glass. "I don't know...ever since Dean moved out...things have been..." She shook her head again and took another drink.

"How have the kids been dealing with everything?" Hermione asked sympathetically.

Parvati shrugged. "Better than expected, I guess. Nate seems to be getting over it—he was always the more adaptable one. Sophia's really missing Dean, though. She's always writing to him and visiting. They never pass up any opportunity to spend time together." Parvati smiled faintly. Her dark eyes momentarily glittered with pleasant memories. "She's always been a daddy's girl, Sophia has. Since the day she was born."

"That's lovely," said Hermione. "How's Tyler?"

Parvati's smile faded into a sad frown and her eyes ceased glittering. She lowered her eyes to her drink. "Ty's the one I'm concerned about. He...he hasn't seen Dean since last winter. They don't talk, they don't write...it's like...it's like they're total strangers."

Ginny furrowed her eyebrows. "Since last winter? Not even once?" Parvati shook her head. Ginny frowned. "That doesn't sound like Dean. Is he even _trying _to see his son?"

"No," Padma sneered bitterly. "He's been too busy with his new career as an Auror to be bothered with trying to fix his relationship with his son."

"Dean's an _Auror?" _Hannah Longbottom asked as she rejoined the table. Her blonde hair was in a messy bun and she was looking rather disheveled.

"Everything alright, Hannah?" asked her friend Susan.

"Yeah, yeah." Hannah replied with an exhausted sigh. "Just another one of Evangeline's restless nights. I swear Alice and Frank never gave me as much trouble as this little girl does." She got herself a glass of wine and sat herself between Susan and Cho. "Now what's this about Dean being an Auror now?"

"He's been made a temporary Auror by the Ministry." Parvati answered with an eye roll. "Michael Marley somehow convinced the Minister to allow temporary Auror licenses to people who fought in the war. He asked Dean to join the Auror's office and of course Dean jumped on the opportunity to be of assistance to a _Marley—_you know he's practically in love with the whole lot of them!" Parvati took an angry drag of alcohol from her glass and grumbled something that sounded like "sick of that damn family."

_Same here, _Hannah thought bitterly.

Hermione and Ginny exchanged a quick, worried glance.

"Seamus has joined too." Lavender added. "Michael can't remember his name and has absolutely _no_ respect for him at all but still, he stays on!"

"I'm sure he's just doing all he can to help." said Angelina. "You can't really blame them for wanting to help. After all, this Maxine Croft thing affects the entire Wizarding community."

"And they were also Ava's friends." Cho added.

"Well, Dean and Seamus aren't exactly Auror material." Hannah blurted out. "And Ava had _plenty _of other friends more qualified for the job that will gladly step up to defend her even though she's been dead for six fucking years."

The lot of women were startled at Hannah's words. Hannah herself was even shocked at how harsh her words were. She blushed a bright pink and pursed her lips tightly together to prevent herself from saying anything further. Hermione shifted uncomfortably and diverted her attention to the activity around the bar. Her brown eyes swept over the scene until they rested on a man at the bar. The man appeared to be in his late thirties, tall, dark-haired and definitely handsome. He was nursing a bottle of beer and staring over at Parvati.

"Parvati?" Hermione said.

Parvati looked to Hermione. "Hm?"

"I think...I think that man over there is staring at you."

Hermione pointed in the man's direction. Parvati followed her direction and took a look at the man. Hermione's stomach turned uncomfortably when the two's eyes met and the man grinned at Parvati.

"Do you know him?" Ginny asked, feeling just as uncomfortable as Hermione.

"No," Parvati answered. A small and wicked grin formed on her face that told her friends that she was thinking of nothing good. "But I think I would like to."

Padma placed a firm hand on her sister's forearm. "Parvati!"

_"What?"_

"You're seriously not about to go talk to that man!"

"I am."

"But he's a total stranger!" Padma argued in an urgent whisper.

"Well, he won't be if you'd let go of my arm and let me go speak to him." Parvati countered.

Padma rolled her eyes and looked to the other women for help.

Ginny was the first to assist and add her opinion. "That's probably not a good idea, Parvati. Pubs are the number one hunting ground for sleazy men."

Angelina nodded in agreement. "He's probably a pig."

"A sleazy pig that only wants to get in your pants." Hermione added.

Most of the women agreed. But Lavender, to no one's great surprise, had quite a different opinion on the matter.

"Well...maybe that's what she needs." Lavender said. When she was met with unbelieving glares from the other women, she explained. "With all that she's been through lately, I think a night of passion would do her some good—even if it's just one night with a fit but _possibly_ sleazy man."

Parvati was about to agree with her best friend when her twin sister interjected.

"You can't possibly believe that's a good piece of advise!" Padma exclaimed.

"Well, she _is _an adult..." Hannah added in her meek voice after giving it some thought. She blushed and lowered her eyes to her drink.

"Exactly!" Parvati exclaimed victoriously, looking around the table with a rather smug expression on her face. "And last time I checked, I was a _single _woman and still attractive if I do say so myself. I'm free as a bird and I want t have a little fun tonight? So if you'll excuse me..."

Parvati yanked her arm free of her sister's grip and strutted over to the man at the bar, looking and feeling confident. The man looked a little surprised at her boldness but enthusiastic all the same.

"Hello."

"Hey." The man replied with an American accent that further peaked Parvati's interest.

"I noticed that you've been watching me for a while," she began. "And I just have to know...are you interested in getting to know me or are you just a terribly obvious stalker?"

He laughed and shook his head. "Interested." He answered. He extended his hand to her. "I'm Brad. Brad Hall."

"Parvati Thom—Patil." Parvati corrected. "Parvati Patil." She shook his hand then sat herself down on the bar stool next to him. "Now how about you start getting to know me by buying a drink, Brad? If you haven't guessed by now, I adore wine."

Her friends watched from their table, half-nervous and half-impressed with her flirting. Lavender grinned as she looked on proudly at her best friend. Padma, however, was not happy in the slightest. She shot Lavender an accusing glare, her jaw clenched tight and her arms crossed over her chest.

"She's not ready for this." Padma growled at Lavender.

Lavender rolled her eyes and waved her hand dismissively. "Stop being such a prude, Padma!"

"I am not a prude!" Padma said defensively. "And it's not about being a prude! It's about my sister being pushed into something that she's not ready for!"

"Oh, you don't know that!" Lavender spat. "And it's nearly been a year since she and Dean split up! Exactly how long is she supposed to mourn their divorce?"

"However long it takes until she's genuinely ready to move on! This is a mistake!"

Lavender rolled her eyes and took a large gulp out of her glass. "Parvati knows what she's doing."

Padma made an indignant sound, but said nothing else. A few intense moments passed before Lavender got up to use the restroom.

"She's not ready." Padma repeated, this time in a tone that expressed her concern.

"I know." said Hermione. "I know."


	8. Accepting the Inevitable

The first day of classes at Hogwarts showed to be more excitable than usual. Students were still buzzing with the news of the impending school dance, excited about the possibilities of new romances and a chance to dress up. In the Third Year Gryffindor girls dormitory four of the five girls that occupied the round room were alive with the anticipation of their first day, chattering happily while perfecting their hair and makeup for the day. Violet Malfoy was uncharacteristically quiet that morning. While Selena went on and on about anything and everything, Violet just nodded and occasionally muttered a word of agreement.

She clearly wasn't truly listening to what Selena was saying, not that the latter noticed, anyhow. Her mind was preoccupied with thoughts of last night's news. She couldn't stop thinking about that sweetheart's dance, and how excited Ty was when the news broke. She couldn't forget the look on his face, how his eyes lit up, how he smiled at Annaliese. The memory burned like a Feindyfire, scorching her brain and blazing a path to the pit of her stomach.

Violet did her best to think about something else; Maxine Croft, dark magic lessons, Professor Macmillan in his underpants— _anything _to keep her mind away from Ty. But nothing helped. She kept flashing back to the handsome Fifth Year in his clean and crisp school uniform, Prefect's badge gleaming like a diamond on his chest, beaming as he dutifully escorted lost First Years to their classes. She would only allow this image for a few moments before she shut her eyes tightly and pushed the image to the very back of her mind. When her friends took notice and asked if she was alright Violet would nod casually and answer with, "Yes, I'm perfectly alright."

Selena, she could tell, was unsure if Violet was being truthful or not, but decided to believe her. Jess, who took notice of her friend's odd behavior during Care of Magical Creatures, wasn't buying it. She confronted Violet when they arrived at their Divinations class.

"What's going on, Violet?" Jess asked in a quiet voice that only she and Violet could hear.

"What do you mean?"

"You've been acting a bit strange all day," Jess answered with a quizzical stare. "We've been best friends since we were babies, Vi. I know when somethings off with you. So what is it?"

"It's nothing. I'm just tired is all. I didn't get much sleep last night." It was mostly true. She didn't get much sleep on account of her racing thoughts, but she wasn't really that tired.

But Jess knew better, and was about to rebut Violet's statement when Trelawney started the class.

Their very first divine activity was palmistry. The students were sat two at a table and instructed to read their partner's palm. For whatever reason, Violet was involuntarily paired with some thin and mousey Ravenclaw boy she didn't know. He held out his small palm and she read it, making the prediction of a long, healthy life with a marriage and two children. She refrained from laughing at she did it, as the whole ordeal was highly amusing. Palmistry was one of the most ridiculous things Violet had ever heard in all her life, and the fact that this was an actual class made her want to howl with obnoxious laughter.

Violet's face expressed her utter boredom as the boy read her palm. He fingered it lightly, as if he was afraid that touching her skin would curse him. She rolled her eyes when he began conveying his findings with a nervous tone.

"Erm...it says...ac-according to the b-book, you will marry and have two—no, _three _children."

"And my life line?"

That's when the boy began to sweat and stutter even more. "Erm...you've...uh...it ap-appears th-that your life...life line..is erm..um...sh-short."

"Oh. Alright, then." Violet replied with a tone that was indeed way too blasé for the subject matter at hand.

Violet's lack of reaction to her predicted short life seemed to increase the boy's fear of hear, for he dropped her palm and turned his body away from her. She didn't care, though. She didn't have any faith in the so-called art of palmistry, and therefore believed the prediction had no merit. Besides, the prospect of dying young was no shock to her. Nearly all of her family had died at a young age due to one reason or another. It was something of a tradition, as sick as that sounded. Also Violet's temper and lack of concern for her own safety increased the odds of a short life. It was a possible fate that Violet had realized long ago and had accepted.

Much to her amusement, the boy avoided all eye contact with her for the duration of class, and practically ran when the class was dismissed.

"What did your palm read, Vi?" Selena asked as they walked back to their dormitory to get ready for dinner. "My palm said I am to be married and have a long life with loads of children!"

Selena's joyous squeal made the corners of Violet's mouth tug up into a small smile.

"Good for you, Sel."

"What about you, Violet?"

Violet knew Selena would freak out if she told her the truth, but she didn't want to lie. So she settled for a mysterious grin and shrug of the shoulders, then beckoned her friend to hurry so they wouldn't be late for dinner.

O-O

Dinner had finished and the students of Hogwarts retired to their common rooms for the rest of the night. In the Gryffindor Tower common room a group of Second Year boys were sat around a table, discussing the day's events and the Sweetheart's Dance.

"Good thing I already have a girlfriend. I couldn't imagine having to deal with the stress of finding a date." Nate Thomas was saying to the others. "Not that I would have much trouble finding one if I had to..."

His friends rolled their eyes at Nate's unabashed confidence. He paid them no mind, though, and continued the topic at hand.

"So, who are you hoping to take to the dance, Scorp?" Nate asked.

Scorpius shrugged. "I don't know. It's so far off, so I'll have plenty of time to think about it. I just hope I can find someone willing to let me be their escort for the night! I mean, I know my chances of finding a date are practically very slim to none, given my...family name and all..."

"_And _the fact that you're an arrogant and slimy git with no sense of humor."

The boys looked up to see Rose Weasley, who was looking rather wound up and ready for one of her verbal sparings with Scorpius.

"Oh, here we go..." Arthur mumbled under his breath.

And Scorpius did not disappoint. He rounded his shoulders and immediately fired back. "And I suppose you think _you're _going to be a hot commodity, Weasley? Like the blokes will be battling to the death for the right to be your date for the Sweetheart's Dance? I hate to break it to you, _Rosie, _but I don't know _one _bloke that would want to take a big mouthed little know-it-all like you to a dance!"

To this Rose laughed bitterly. "Actually, _Scorpie, _I believe that big mouthed little know-it-all that you speak is _you. _And I don't know of one girl that would want to go with you even if your last name wasn't Malfoy. _If_ there is one somewhere out there, she'd have to be either really stupid or really lacking self-esteem. That, and she'd probably look like a dog as well."

This time Scorpius laughed. "If we're talking about looks here, Weasley, I think I'd take the prize before you _easily_. And I know for a fact that several girls in this school think I'm attractive, and none of them are stupid or resemble a dog."

Rose raised an eyebrow. "Really? Are you willing to put that to the test?"

The inevitable challenge. Scorpius was expecting this, and was more than happy that she brought it up.

"How so?"

"Find a date in time for the dance that is decent in looks _and _intelligence, and I'll admit that I was wrong and take back everything I said about you being arrogant and slimy and ugly—"

"You didn't call me ugly."

"I didn't? Oh, in that case...you're ugly, Scorpius Malfoy." Rose declared, ignoring Scorpius' glare. "Anyway, find a girl that meets those two requirements and I'll take back everything I just said."

Scorpius thought about it for a few moments, then shook his head. "Not good enough. If I am successful—and I _will be_—you have to stand up on stage in front of everyone at that dance and tell everyone how handsome and brilliant you think I am, and how you're jealous of me and wish that you were me. Deal?"

Rose absolutely hated the idea, and Scorpius knew it. But she wouldn't back down. Not now, not ever! So she shook Scorpius' hand firmly.

"Deal."

Their friends sighed and rolled their eyes.

"Why do I have a feeling that this won't end well?" Frank whispered in an exhausted breath.

"Because it won't." Albus answered in a mutter. "Because it won't."


	9. Father to Father

Astoria Malfoy was sat up in bed, staring silently at her husband like she had been for the past two hours. Draco had been laying in bed, still wearing his night robe, staring at the fireplace intently as if it held the answer to a particularly knotty problem. He had been doing this, Astoria noticed, on and off since his daughter was attacked at the university.

At first she hypothesized that it was a simple case of shock, as it would be the natural reaction of any parent when learning that their child was injured and, quite possibly, even had been killed. She couldn't fault him for that. Even Astoria herself felt sick at the thought of what happened to her stepdaughter. Although Violet was an arrogant and obnoxious little girl, she was, after all, a child that had nothing to do with Maxine Croft's painful childhood. Ava didn't have anything to do with it either, Astoria could admit. The whole situation was terrifying, and at the same time horribly sad.

But there was little Astoria could do except protect her family as best she could. Her home was protected and her children safe at Hogwarts, so now her main concern was her husband. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Draco, darling?" Astoria asked in a gentle tone. "Are you alright?"

Draco did not respond. His gray eyes were fixed upon the dancing flames in the fireplace, shining and thoughtful and sad. In the firelight Astoria could see his mouth was contorted into a frown. She moved her hand to his cheek.

"Honey? Draco, what's the matter?" She prodded again, a little more insistent this time.

Several more silent moments passed before he finally spoke. His voice was quiet and strange when he spoke.

"I am a horrible father," said Draco. His words were slow. He sounded resolute. So sure of his words.

Astoria gasped at her husband's words. "Draco, that's not true!"

"It is." He replied very matter-of-factly. "I am a horrible father."

Astoria shook her head feverishly. She swiftly moved to his side of the bed and sat herself in front of him. She took his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her.

"Draco, you are _not _a horrible father!" Astoria insisted. "Why on earth would you say such a thing?!"

Draco looked down sadly. "I say such a thing because it's true. I'm a horrible father, Astoria."

"Stop saying that!" Astoria hissed.

"Look at me, Tori!" Draco began, looking up at his his wife. "I busted up my marriage. I betrayed Ava, and I couldn't save her, I didn't get there in time to save her. I couldn't even figure out who killed her—I gave up on finding out after only a _year!"_

Astoria shook her head, ignoring the sting of her husband's words. "Draco, you had other priorities—the children and myself."

Draco rejected this. "I _never _should have stopped investigating! And then our daughter is nearly killed, _twice! _Now this Maxine is on the loose and hunting my daughter! And what have I done about it? Hm? I've sat on my ass, in my comfortable arm chair, wasting time! I should have been out there, helping look for that lowlife and putting in more of an effort to protect my daughter! Attempting to protect her by checking her mail and tagging her wherever she goes is nothing compared to what I _should _be doing!"

"Draco, sometimes there's only so much you can do. I'm sure Violet knows you love her and that you are trying!"

He shook his head, his gray eyes shining with angry tears. "It's not enough! I need to be doing something more. I need to help bring Croft in. I need to be out there investigating, _hunting _her, just like she's doing to my daughter!"

Astoria was frightened of the determination in his voice and the sheer malice in his face. She hadn't seen Draco like this, not in a very long time.

"Draco, what...what are you going to do?" The witch asked, her voice quiet and nearly quivering. She was terrified of what he would say.

He suddenly looked up and stared straight into her sharp green eyes. "The only thing I can do, Astoria. I'm going to see Harry Potter first thing tomorrow morning, and ask him to make me a temporary Auror."

O-O

Harry Potter arrived at the Ministry bright and early. He had gotten a long and peaceful night's sleep and he was feeling fresh and energized. He knew he'd be needing his strength for the long day ahead of him. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement had gotten a few leads regarding the Maxine Croft investigation, all of which sounded promising.

When he walked through the magical doors of the Aurors Office, he was happy to see that quite a few employees were already there and working. Ron's office was still dark, Harry noticed, which wasn't at all surprising. He was even more of a late riser than Harry, and there was no way he would have shown up at the early hour. Michael Marley was also present, seemingly to have left his own office across the hall to badger some poor new Auror-in-training about his evaluation results. Harry rolled his eyes as he passed him by, not wanting to draw his attention.

Dean Thomas was at his desk, reading glasses perched upon his nose, possibly reviewing some reports. Harry smiled a little, happy with his decision to make Dean a temporary Auror. Dean did good work, was always prompt, reliable, and very dedicated. With Dean's help, Harry felt that catching Maxine Croft would be just a little bit easier. Harry often wondered why Dean never took Kingsley's deal for Auror training after the war, because he seemed to suited very much for the job. Harry often considered giving Dean a permanent position in the Auror's office, if the other wizard would accept his offer.

"Good morning, Dean." said Harry.

"Morning, Harry." Dean replied, looking up from his papers and offered a small smile in greeting. "I was just reviewing the transcripts from the Sarah Croft interrogation."

"Alright." replied Harry. "Well, let me know if you spot anything useful."

"Will do."

After a curt nod towards Dean, Harry approached his office, making sure to stop by his secretary's desk before going in.

"Any messages for me, Dorothy?" He asked the middle-aged witch.

"Yes, sir. One from the Minister and three from the editor of the _Daily Prophet_." The witch handed him the paper messages.

"Right, I'll get to those started on those straight away." He moved to enter his office, but halted when the woman spoke again.

"There's someone waiting in your office, sir. Said it was urgent that he speak to you."

"Um...alright. Did you catch his name?"

"Yes, sir. He said his name is Draco Malfoy."

Harry instantly huffed an involuntary irritated sigh. The last thing he wanted to do on this positive morning was row with Malfoy. But the man was in his office and most likely concerned for his daughter, so Harry took a deep breath and opened the door.

Malfoy did not stand up when Harry walked in, or even acknowledge his existence. He was sat in a chair in front of the desk, staring at a nearby wall.

"Potter." Malfoy greeted him, as he usually did.

"Malfoy." Harry replied, his tone just as frosty as Malfoy's. He sat down in his office chair.

"These walls are hideous," Malfoy said observantly as he stared around the office. "What moron chose these colors?"

"I did," Harry's temper began to flare up, so he bit down gently on his tongue for a moment to keep it under control. "Now did you really come all the way here just to insult my office décor or is there something I can help you with, Malfoy?"

Malfoy looked at Harry, focused and determined on the task at hand. "You're right. My apologies. I do need your help with something."

Even more surprising than an admission of wrong doing and an apology from Draco Malfoy was what he said to Harry next.

"I need you to make me a temporary Auror."

Harry was stunned silent for quite a few moments. Malfoy had said his words so clearly, and yet Harry still thought he had heard wrong.

"Come again?"

"I need you to make me a temporary Auror." Malfoy repeated, more slowly and louder this time. "Please."

More silence.

"You...want me...to make you...a temporary..._Auror?"_

"Yes."

Harry blinked a few times, and stared at Malfoy as if he had been struck dumb. "Erm...and why, may I ask, would you want me to do that?"

"Because I want to help." Draco responded. "I want to help bring Maxine Croft to justice."

Harry continued to gape at him. "You do?"

Draco had to refrain from screaming at Harry in building frustration. "Yes. Is that so hard to believe?"

"Well...yes, in a way. I mean, I don't doubt that you want to help, but I didn't expect you to want to help in...you know..._this way."_

"Well, I do. Will you initiate me or not?"

_As if this was ever an option, _Harry thought.

_"Not."_ Harry replied.

Malfoy fired up. "And why the hell not?!"

Harry looked at him with disbelief. "Well, let's start with the fact that you have no experience! Auror training takes _two years _of intense training!"

"Your pals Thomas and Finnigan were technically never trained, either, but you let them join up." Draco countered.

"That's different."

"Why? Because they were in the D.A.? Because they always fought for the good side?" Malfoy shook his head. "Listen Potter, I may have not learned the way you did, but I _do _know what I'm doing. In case you have forgotten, I served the Dark Lord in the war, and we all know that he didn't allow just any old idiot join his ranks! I was trained both in defense against the dark arts _and_ the offense. I may not have the heart to actually kill anyone, but I _can _handle myself and I _can_ help! My Aunt Bellatrix trained me herself. And not even you, Potter, can deny that she was an amazing witch."

Malfoy had a point, but Harry had a counter.

"Which is why I wouldn't dare give you a license, Malfoy! You know too much, and I don't trust you to tell me the whole truth. I don't trust you at all! Your past certainly does nothing to help your case, Malfoy!"

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "That was over _twenty _years ago! I made my mistakes and I've paid for them! Do you honestly think I'd go back to that? I've got children and a new life, Potter! I wouldn't dare risk my family like that! Have I, even once, done anything criminal since the war?"

"No," Harry admitted. "No, you have not. But old habits die hard. How can I trust you to do the right thing when all I've ever known you to be is distrustful?"

Draco shrugged. "You'll just have to get over it, I guess. The past is the past. There's nothing I can do about that now."

"Exactly." said Harry. "Which brings me to my second point; the past. You've burned too many bridges, Malfoy, left too many people with a bad taste in their mouth. I'm not the only one that doesn't trust you. _No one _likes you! They won't be so keen to work with a man they hate. We are a _team, _and a team doesn't function when no one gets along or trusts each other. And, you 've never struck me as much of a team player, Malfoy."

"I'm willing to get along and be a _team player._" Draco spat, as if those last words felt sour in his mouth. "I'm willing to make an effort to get along. I won't argue with anyone if they don't start up with me. I'm willing to make amends, even if they're only temporary."

Harry leaned back in his chair, still not believing what he was witnessing before him.

"Malfoy, why are you doing this?" Harry asked. "Why the sudden interest in serving proper justice?"

"I've already told you, I want to help bring Maxine Croft down. I'd prefer her to be hunted down and executed, to be honest, but a proper trial and prosecution will do. That's what Ava would have wanted."

"You want to avenge Ava?"

"Yes, of course I do! I loved her as much as everyone else did. I still do. But...that's not the entire reason..." Draco looked at Harry, directly in his eyes, and spoke with heartfelt sincerity. "This woman murdered Ava. Now she has my daughter in her crosshairs. My thirteen-year-old, _innocent_ daughter, that has nothing to do with this. She shouldn't have to bear this burden. I couldn't save Ava, but I'm damn sure going to save our daughter! I am her _father! _I have the right and divine duty to love and protect my children. Just sitting at home and hoping that this nightmare will end isn't cutting it for me. I need to be more active in protecting my daughter. I need to do everything I can to save her. I don't give a damn what the world thinks of me, but I do care what my children think. And I won't have them thinking that I don't love them or won't do everything in my power to keep them safe. Look, I know you don't trust me, and I don't blame you. But I'm giving you my word as a man, as a _father, _that I will not let you down. You can trust me to do the right thing now. Please, Potter—_Harry_—please allow me this opportunity to do right by Ava and my children."

Silence.

Harry stared into Draco's eyes. What he saw was something he had never seen in Draco Malfoy before. Honesty. Vulnerability. Strength. Harry saw a man that loved his children, a man that was willing to do anything to ensure their safety. He saw a human being, another man, a father. Yes, this was a different side to Draco Malfoy, one that had been hiding for all those years. A side that Harry trusted, a side that he believed.

"Alright," Harry said. "You can join us. I'll grant you a temporary license."

Surprise, then relief, and finally joy washed over Malfoy.

"Honestly?"

"Yes, honestly." Harry replied. "But I'm holding you to your word, Malfoy. I'll swear you in next Tuesday, you officially start the following Friday. Everything will be set up by then."

"Thank you." said Malfoy. He stood up and extended his hand to Harry. "Thank you."

Harry accepted his hand, and shook it. "You're welcome. I'll see you on Tuesday."

"See you on Tuesday...boss."


	10. Expectation vs Reality

To say that Astoria Malfoy was shocked that her husband was made a temporary Auror was an understatement. She knew that he was set on his task and determined to make Harry Potter see his way, but never in a million years did she actually expect him to actually succeed. When Draco came walking into the room full of renewed life and energy and announced that he was an official temporary Auror, Astoria nearly fell out of her seat. Draco had been expecting his wife to be happy for him, for her to smile and congratulate him, but reality was nothing like his expectations.

Instead his beautiful green-eyed wife was staring at him with a bewildered look on her face, her eyes wide and her perfectly painted lips parted in a breathless gasp.

"You…you've _what?!" _She asked in an almost inaudible voice.

"I've been made a temporary Auror." Draco repeated, slowly this time, almost like he expected a different reaction this time around. "Potter is starting me on Tuesday."

"T-Tuesday? Draco! Oh-!" Astoria was breathless and flushed. She hadn't been expecting this at all. Her face was paling by the second, her previously carefree and airy demeanor gone. "Are you mad?"

Draco frowned. "No, I'm perfectly sane, Astoria." He stared at his wife. He saw how she pale and sickly-looking she became in a matter of just a few seconds, and how she was genuinely surprised and devastating she was. "Why are you so shocked? You knew I was going to Potter to ask for this job. I've explained to you my reasons for doing this."

"Yes, but I didn't—"

"You didn't expect what? That I would be successful? That Potter would say no?" Draco interrupted, suddenly irritated with her. "We've talked this through; he understands where I'm coming from. He knows and believes me. I'm well aware of the hard work and rubbish I'm going to have to put up with from the others but I'm willing to get along."

Astoria was well aware with her husband's irritation, and she made an attempt to soothe it. "Draco, darling, I do not doubt that. But…it's a dangerous job!"

"I'm perfectly aware of that, Astoria!" He grabbed the sleeve of his left arm and yanked it up to reveal the deep scar was once the Dark Mark. "In case you've forgotten, I'm well trained in the Dark Arts and self-defense! I think I'm capable of holding my own against a lot of _Squibs!"_

She laughed a small humorless laugh, which took Draco back a bit. He had never heard that from her before.

"That's your answer, is it? Well, I hate to break it to you, Draco, but those lot of _Squibs_ were able to kill a good lot of well-trained witches and wizards—including _three_ survivors of the Battle of Hogwarts—_without _the use of magic!"

The source of Astoria's sudden sassiness and anger was unknown, but it felt good to speak her mind and she didn't want to stop. Draco didn't like it one bit, and his gray eyes narrowed into slits.

"Just what are you implying, _dear?"_ He asked in a low and dangerous voice.

Astoria squared her shoulders before replying, "I didn't mean to _imply_ anything, _love._ I meant to say it directly; I don't think you are truly prepared or qualified for this job."

Draco gasped softly, but said nothing in reply. He was clearly wounded by her words, and stunned silent. Astoria's face softened at this, and she tried to regain control of the conversation and smooth things over.

"I'm sorry if that was harsh, but I am frustrated and need for you to understand. I'm worried about you, Draco. I fear for your safety, and the safety of our family! What would we do if you were killed?" Tears were now involuntarily spilling from her eyes and she was emotional. "How would we be okay with that? What about your parents? You're their only child, Draco! A child isn't supposed to die before their parents! Have you not thought of me and our son?"

Those were the wrong words, Astoria realized. Draco's face colored and came to life with anger.

"_How dare you!"_ He hissed.

Astoria moved forward to try to calm her husband, to explain herself and apologize for how that sounded, but Draco moved from her touch and scowled at her.

"How are you say those things to me!" He continued in a low voice. "How dare you question my love for my family!"

"Draco, no! I was not doubting—"

"Everything I'm doing I'm doing for the benefit of our family! How dare you—"

Draco turned on his heel and made a beeline straight for the fireplace. Astoria tried to stop him from leaving but he was too fast for her. He disappeared in a fire of green smoke.

O-O

When Harry arrived home later that night his wife and love of nearly two decades immediately knew that something was up with him. He was uncharacteristically quiet and too aware of his actions, too compliant and easily agreeable. Ginny was deeply suspicious, but waited until Lily was asleep to confront him. She found him in their master bathroom, brushing his teeth hypnotically while staring at his reflection in the mirror.

"Harry?"

Harry snapped out of his hypnotic state, giving a startled jump at the sudden presence of his wife.

"Ginny! I-I didn't see you there…"

"I know…" Slowly, Ginny walked to him, her eyes almost narrowing with suspicion. "Harry, what's going on with you?"

Harry shook his head in his best casual way. "What are you on about? Nothing's wrong."

"Yes, there is! You're acting strange."

"Strange? How so?"

Ginny's eyes narrowed even more. "You've been quiet and _too _helpful. You even volunteered to help Lily with her homework, you almost never do that!"

Harry's eyes widened in mock surprise. "Oh! A father invested in his child's education? How strange!"

His wife was not amused by this, her crossed arms and frown said so. "Harry James Potter! What the hell is up with you tonight?!" Harry was about to reply, but she cut him off. "Tell me _now!"_

He wanted to argue, but the stern look and fiery stance of Ginny's made him think twice. He knew he was caught. She knew him too well. Finally, he sighed and dropped the façade.

"Alright. Something _has _been on my mind," He took a deep breath, then looked up at her. "Ginny, I made Malfoy a temporary Auror."

Ginny's jaw dropped. "Malfoy? An Auror?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah…mad, isn't it?"

"It's mental." There was a few beats of stunned silence, and then, "What would you do that?"

Harry shrugged. "Because he came to me and asked me this morning, at the office. He explained to me his reasons why he wanted to join up and they're legitimate. So I said yes. He'll be sworn in on Tuesday."

Ginny shook her head, slowly, unbelievingly. "Harry…"

Harry did not notice his wife's cautious tone and kept going. "I've been dreading everyone's reactions. I haven't told anyone else yet—I imagine Ron and Mike will blow a gasket! Dean will probably be pissed as well. Mike will most likely try to overrule my decision but I've already went to the Minister—he was a bit skeptical about it but approved, nonetheless." He went back to brushing his teeth, continuing to talk. "I think once everyone's heard Malfoy's reasons for wanting to join they'll loosen up a bit and understand. I mean, every one of us are parents so they'll understand. Plus Malfoy agreed to try his best to get along with everyone and not start any trouble, so that should help his cause. He's also already been trained in magical combat so I think he'll be alright—"

"This isn't a good idea, Harry." Ginny suddenly said.

Harry's attention snapped back to her. "What?"

"This isn't a good idea," Ginny repeated. "I don't think you should let Malfoy in."

Harry blinked. "And why would you think that?"

She gaped at him. "Are you joking? This is _Malfoy _we're talking about, Harry! We can't trust him! Especially with such sensitive information!"

"Alright, Malfoy _is _a two-faced slimy git, but this time things are different."

"How?" Ginny challenged.

Harry fired up. "Because he sat across from me and looked me right in the eyes! He came to me man to man, and explained everything!"

"Oh well, that's it, then! Because we all know that Draco Malfoy is so honest!" Ginny added an eye roll to her bit of sarcasm. "Harry, he could be using you and playing on your emotions just to get what he wants. For all we know he could find out a bit of information and go off half-cocked and go after Maxine by himself! He always was a glory-hog, after all. Besides, having Malfoy and Michael on the same team would be a fucking disaster!"

Harry was frustrated that she wasn't getting it. All he could say in reply was, "Ginny, I trust him with this one."

She shook her head, her long tresses of ginger hair moving around with her. "Harry, you've given him plenty of chances in the past and he's ruined them all. It's dangerous to trust him again. I really think you're wrong about this."

The sincere look of doubt in Ginny's eyes was enough to break him apart. Even though he expected her to be hesitant, he also expected her to understand and trust him. There were very few people in the world in which Harry needed their trust, love, and respect. Ginny was one of those people, and it hurt his soul that she did not trust him even though he trusted himself and truly felt it with his whole heart that this was the right thing to do.

"You know, Ginny, I've always trusted you and stood by your choices, even when I didn't necessarily like them. And the fact that you don't trust in the fact that I trust myself and feel this is right is really screwed up. This man is doing this for his family, for Ava—for his _daughter!_ Why is it so hard for you to understand?"

Ginny was hit with a wave of shame and sadness. "Harry—"

"I'm going out." He declared loudly. "I need some fresh air."

Harry apparated from their home, leaving Ginny stunned and pondering what she has just done.

O-O

It was a strange thing that they happened to come to the same place to drown their troubles, but both Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy were almost glad to see each other at the Three Broomsticks. Draco was on his second glass of Firewhiskey when Harry arrived and spotted him at a corner table.

"I'm surprised to see you here." Draco said as Harry sat himself down across from him without an invitation. He didn't really mind, though, and made room for him and his drink by clearing his empty glasses from the table.

Harry half-smiled in thanks and sat down. "Yeah…I'm just…I needed some air."

Draco immediately understood the meaning of that. "Yeah, me too."

It was mutual knowledge now that the two wizards were in the same boat, which made it a little easier to open up.

"Let me guess, your wife isn't happy about you joining our ranks?" Harry asked.

Draco chuckled and nodded. "Yes. And yours isn't happy about me joining you?" Harry nodded. "Yeah, I figured that would happen. Have you told the others yet?"

Harry shook his head. "No."

Draco took a long swig of his drink. "I imagine their reactions will be worse than your wife's, then you'll _really _need that Firewhiskey."

Harry laughed a little at that. "Most likely. I wouldn't worry about that, though. They'll come around eventually when we finally catch Maxine Croft."

The word "we" sank into Draco's head, and warmed his heart a little. It let him know that Harry was true to his word and that that were all in this together. They raised their glasses and toasted to their vow to catch the Squib. The two sat there for a while, drinking and talking casually about things like sports and the goings-on at Hogwarts and their children. It was strange, they had never talked like this before, open and without malice. It was carefree. It was rather nice.

Perhaps that was why Draco felt compelled to tell Harry this. Maybe it was the alcohol as well, but Draco felt the need to confide in Harry something that he had never told anyone else before.

"Ava was having an affair, with Longbottom." Draco suddenly said in a low voice so no one else but Hary could hear. "And she was—"

"Pregnant, I know." Harry finished for him. "We…we saw it in a memory that was sent to…to Violet."

On one hand Draco was relieved that Harry already knew. On the other hand, he was deeply saddened that Violet knew as well.

"I hope she doesn't think any less of her mother—Violet, I mean. She…she was a good woman. She just made a few mistakes, is all—"

Harry adamantly shook his head. "Oh no—I'm sure she doesn't! She's known for a good while now and she hasn't said anything about it or acted differently towards Neville, so I don't think so. Violet still loves her mother very much."

"I'm very glad for that," Draco looked up at Harry, sincerity in his gray eyes. "How many people know about that? I don't think…I don't want that to be spread around. You know how people talk…"

"No one else knows but me, Ron, and Hermione—and Neville and Violet, of course. That's very private information. We wouldn't dare betray her like that. Like you said, she made some mistakes. She was only human. But…how did you find out about it?"

Draco shrugged. "She was acting suspicious. So I followed her to the Isle of Mann and saw her and Longbottom together. I confronted her about it later and she confessed—to _everything."_

Harry nodded and took another drink, but spat the liquid back out with Draco's next confession.

"There's something else I don't think you know." He said in a quiet and rushed voice, like he was pushing himself to get it out before he could change his mind. "A couple of days before she died, she told me something. She said she had found out that her father…that Richard Marley…that he has an illegitimate daughter somewhere in America."

Harry gasped in surprised and nearly choked on his drink before he spit it out all over the table. "He…he…_what?"_

"He has an illegitimate daughter in America—in Massachusetts, I think it's called. She told me that she and a friend were planning a trip there to track her down." Draco shook his head. "That _friend _was probably Maxine Croft, now that I think about it. I mean, who else would participate in tracking down a long-lost sister unless they were related?"

Harry was truly stunned. He sat there in silence for a while, trying to wrap his head around this new bit of information. "How do…how do you know this is true?"

"You can extract the memory, if you want." Draco suggested. "Ava also said something about having proof, said she hid it in an old abandoned house in the countryside somewhere so no one would be able to find it. She didn't want it to get out and ruin her father's reputation."

Harry shook his head slowly, still in awe. "This is just completely fucking mad. I can't believe after all this time…" He shook his head again and drowned the rest of his Firewhiskey.

"So what does this mean now?" Draco asked. "For the investigation, I mean."

"Well, first we have to verify this story, and then…off we go to America to find this other sister."

Draco frowned at the fact that Harry was doubting him, but held his tongue and agreed.


	11. The Denial and The Plan

It was a crisp Sunday morning with bright sunlight and a nice autumn breeze, a perfect day for Hogwarts students to relax and have fun on the beautiful grounds of the castle. Under a large tree sat the five boys of the Second Year dormitories of Gryffindor Tower. They were gathered in a circle and discussing Scorpius's latest dilemma.

"How about that Hufflepuff girl in Defense Against the Dark Arts class?" Frank Longbottom suggested. "I think she fancies you. She's always smiling at you and trying to chat you up and giggling with her friends."

Scorpius shook his head. "No, she's too silly. Besides, Weasley knows that girl's a silly idiot—she'll never do."

"Why don't you just ask Molly?" Arthur chimed in. "She's brilliant and pretty."

"How would you know that?" Nate asked with a teasing smile. "You can't even see her."

Arthur grinned and shrugged. "I've just got a feeling. I'm not wrong, am I?"

"No." Scorpius admitted, slightly embarrassed to admit it in front of her cousin Albus. "And Molly did come to my mind first, but that would have been too easy. Weasley would be expecting that. No, I need someone else."

"How about Daisy Flint?" Nate suggested, a playful glint in his eyes and a huge smile pulling at his lips. He managed to keep a serious face for a total of about ten seconds before he burst out laughing upon seeing the look on his friends pale faces.

"_Are you joking?!_ She's more masculine than I am!" Scorpius shrieked.

His friends were rolling around the grass, roaring with laughter at the thought of Scorpius showing up at the dance with the tall and muscular Daisy Flint on his arm. Scorpius too started to laugh. After the hilarity died down the boys settled down and lay down on the rich grass beneath them.

"You know," Arthur said after a while. "You could just ask Rose."

Scorpius gaped at him. _"What?"_

"You could just ask Rose." Arthur repeated. "You two have been at it since you met and…I'm just thinking…"

One of Scorpius's eyebrows was cocked and he was staring at Arthur, anticipating his next words. "Thinking what?"

"That maybe there's more than a rivalry between you two. With all the bickering you two do I'm starting to think that maybe you two fancy each other."

Scorpius sat straight up and gaped at his friend. "_What? _I do _not _fancy Rose Weasley!"

"Makes sense to me." Albus added.

"Me, too." Frank said.

"I hate to say it, but I agree." Nate said. "You two are practically pulling each other's plaits on the playground every chance you get."

"We don't—I don't!" Scorpius was standing up now, staring around at his friends. "I don't have a crush on Rose Weasley! And I didn't start this rivalry, _she did!_"

"And you two like each other, Scorp. Just a little bit, though." Violet had appeared seemingly out of nowhere, with Selena by her side. "But if you're not ready to ask her, I suggest that Slytherin girl in your year. Roseanne Beals, I think her name is. She's decent-looking and a decent student."

"I _do not fancy Weasley!"_ Scorpius repeated.

Violet rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say, Scorp. Now move out of the way, Sel and I would like to sit down."

Violet pushed past her stunned brother and made a place for her and her friend to sit.

"What are you two going out here? I thought you had Divination homework to do?" Arthur asked.

"We decided to take a break." Selena answered. She titled her head in Violet's direction. "Violet over here is having a little trouble with Divinations."

"_Violet? _Having trouble seeing the future in a crystal ball?" Albus faked surprise.

Violet rolled her eyes. "It's the most ridiculous subject I've ever seen! And Professor Trelawney-!"

Violet stood up and began mocking the Divinations professor, mimicking her strange way of walking, her airy voice and large eyes. The small group laughed at her antics, which caught the attention of the new Prefect Ty Thomas, who was patrolling the grounds. He could see Violet doing an exaggerated impression of someone and from the looks of things that someone was Professor Trelawney. It was a little overdone, but otherwise pretty accurate. Ty almost laughed at it, but was prevented by his ill feelings for the girl. But still, he found himself walking toward the group—towards _her—_just to see what was happening.

The antics ceased once Ty walked on the scene. There was an awkward tension that fell upon them, one that rendered the Fifth Year silent for a few moments.

"I came to see how you were all doing." Ty said in the most steady voice he could muster.

"We're fine, bro." Nate said. His eyes shifted from his brother over to Violet, who was now sitting and quietly looking of in another direction to avoid any eye contact with Ty. "Uh…how are you?"

"Excellent, thank you." Ty answered, taking the opportunity to sneak a few quick glances at Violet while she was looking off somewhere else. He couldn't help it, and he wanted to just kick himself for walking over there for no other reason but to be close to her and see what she was doing. He hated that, in that moment, he realized just how much he really missed her.

"Oh, there's a…a package for you, Nate. Mum just sent it…" This was a lie. There was no package, he just needed an excuse for being there and another for having to leave.

Fortunately, his brother seemed to understand, and didn't call his bluff. "Oh, alright. I guess I'll go get it, then."

Ty breathed a small sigh of relief and turned on his heel to leave. But he had walked only a few feet when he stopped in his tracks, his blood running cold when he saw that Hunter Beckett, one of his least favorite people in the world, walk past him and toward the group of younger students. Ty watched in horror as he strode over to Violet and bend to whisper something in her ear. His fists balled up and his blood started to boil in his veins. He stared angrily as Hunter finished relaying his message, and then left, but not before offering a smile to Violet that made Ty's stomach lurch.

"What did he want? Why was he whispering to you?" Ty suddenly rounded on Violet, angry that Hunter Beckett, his enemy, had the audacity to lean in close to Violet and to whisper in her ear.

Violet stared back at him, calm but almost surprised at his reaction. She then replied coolly, "It's none of your business, Tyler." Ty looked taken aback, like he was suddenly splashed by cold water. Violet used his silence to her advantage and took the opportunity to leave. "Come on Sel, I think we should get back to work."

The pair of girls took their leave, but no before Selena turned her head and mouthed "I'm sorry" to her cousin before leaving.

Ty stared after them, angry, frustrated, and confident that Violet was certainly up to something—and that Selena was in on it as well. Something in his gut told him that whatever it was that they were doing, it wasn't good. He knew that Hunter was one of Theodore Nott's henchmen, and knew that Violet had been spending a lot more time with Nott as of late. That told Ty that whatever situation Violet had gotten herself in was not going to end well, and that he had to find out what was going on and save her from Nott and herself. His Gryffindor heart would not allow not to, no matter how angry he was with her. He still cared, and he could not deny that.

But he would need a little help.

"Have any of you seen Jessica Nott?" Ty asked the other boys.

They shook their heads. Scorpius, who was still on his tangent, sulked and mumbled, "I don't fancy Rose Weasley."

Ty sighed. "Nevermind. I'll go find her myself."


	12. The Unlikely Alliance

_"No, she'll be alright." Ava said to Draco. "Everything will work out in the end and Violet will be alright. You'll see."_

_Ava smiled softly, so sure of her words. Draco wasn't so sure, but said nothing further about it. Instead he frowned and took another sip of tea from the cup. The two sat in silence for a long while on Ava's front porch. While their daughter was fast asleep upstairs in her bedroom, the two ex-spouses sat and listened to the crickets and sounds of summer. It was an easy, comfortable silence, and it was almost a shame when Draco broke it._

"_Have you figured out what you're going to do yet?" He asked._

"_About what?"_

"_You know…" Draco lowered his voice. "About the…the baby."_

_Ava's bright eyes immediately lowered to the ground and glossed over with unshed tears. A slight blush crept up her cheeks as she replied. "I've decided to keep the baby. I've always wanted more children—you know that. I just never thought it would be possible. You remember how things were when I was carrying Violet."_

_Draco nodded slowly. "Yes, I remember.'"_

"_It was so scary, not knowing if she was going to make it and if we could conceive again if she didn't. This baby wasn't expected, but it's a miracle and I won't waste this blessing."_

_It wasn't exactly the answer that Draco wanted to hear, but it was the one he was expecting. "Well, I guess it's settled, then. Congratulations, Ava."_

_Draco got up to leave, but Ava stopped him with a hand on his wrist. "I'm leaving Neville."_

_He froze, and stared at her. His gray eyes were wide. "What?"_

"_I'm leaving Neville," she repeated. "I'm breaking things off with him. This week, I think. The sooner the better."_

"_Ava…are you sure?"_

"_Yes," she nodded. "I don't want to ruin his life over this. If this gets out—well…you know…"_

_Draco knew where she was going with this. She didn't want him to face a scandal like he had. He nodded and quickly redirected the conversation. "What about the baby?"_

"_I can do it on my own—raise the baby, I mean. I'll tell everyone that the father was a Muggle, that he died. They will believe it. No one will know the truth."_

_It sounded like Ava was trying to convince herself of this rather than Draco._

_Draco was silent and thinking for a few moments, and then resolved to sit and hold Ava's hand in a gesture of comfort._

"_Well, no matter what you want to do, you have my support. And…if you need anything—anything at all—you can always come to me."_

_A small appreciative smile graced Ava's face. "Thank you, Draco. For everything."_

_They shared a long hug, and when they were finished they fell back into a quiet peaceful moment, which they hadn't experienced in a long while._

"_Do you want a son this time or would you like another daughter?" Draco asked._

_Ava looked up at him and smiled dreamily. "Another girl would be nice, but I think I want a boy this time. I've always wanted a son. Maybe I'll name him Finn."_

_Draco wrinkled his nose. "_Finn?_ That's an ugly name."_

_Ava gasped and slapped him on the arm. "It is not!"_

"_it is. It's terrible." Draco replied. "What will his nickname be? _Finny?_"_

_Ava laughed loudly, her eyes bright with amusement. It was the first time in months that she laughed like that. Draco loved that he made her feel that way._

"_Well, terrible name or not, if this is a boy his name will be Finn."_

_Draco chuckled. "And what if it's a girl?"_

_Ava gave it a few moment's thought before answering. "Clover, I think. I like the name Clover."_

"_You just love nature-inspired names, don't you?" _

_She grinned and shrugged. "What can I say? I'm a hippie at heart."_

_Draco laughed and shook his head. He glanced down at his watch and saw the lateness of the hour. "Astoria's probably worried about me. I better get going—"_

"_Wait, Draco—please. I wanted to ask you something before I forgot."_

"_Alright. What is it?"_

"_I need to take a trip to America, probably sometime within the next couple of months. I was hoping you could keep Violet while I'm gone."_

"_Yes, of course." His eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "But what are you going to America for?"_

_Ava's previous carefree demeanor disappeared, and she was now serious. Draco knew that she was hiding something._

"_Ava?" Draco asked. "Is there something more to this? You can trust me. You know that."_

_Draco prodded gently, ensuring her of his trust. Finally, she opened up and confided in her ex-husband._

"_A while ago I was looking through the attic in my parents manor and I found some things hidden in a loose floorboard." She took a deep and shaky breath. "It was a box of memories, my father's memories. I knew I shouldn't have looked—it was none of my business! But I couldn't help it…"_

_She began to cry. Draco put is arms around her. "Ava—"_

"_His has other children!" Ava blurted out. Then, realizing some mistake, she amended her statement. "I m-mean, he has another child. She lives in Massachusetts. That's why we're going—me and a friend—we're going to meet her."_

_Draco was in shock. "A-are you sure?"_

"_Yes! I saw the memory." Ava shook her head. "I just can't believe this."_

"_Does he know? Your father, I mean."_

"_No. No, he doesn't. I won't tell him that I know, either. I want to meet her first before I say anything. I don't want to rock the boat. I've hidden the memory in an old country house. Dean and I stayed there while we were on the run—it was the only safe place I could think of." She looked back up at Draco, her eyes wide and pleading. "Please Draco, please don't tell anyone! If this gets out my father's r-reputation-!"_

"_I won't tell." Draco swore. "I'll never tell anyone. I swear."_

O-O

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Draco stood around the Pensive. Ron and Hermione were shocked. Harry was frustrated. Draco was embarrassed, ashamed of himself for breaking his promise to Ava.

"Well, old Richard Marley spread his DNA well, I see." Ron commented.

Hermione slapped her husband on the arm. "Ron!"

"_What?_ It's true, isn't it?"

"Yes, but you didn't have to be so crude about it!" She argued.

Harry heaved a great sigh. He didn't have the time or the energy to go searching for another damn clue that may or may not lead them to Maxine Croft. He sighed again. "Okay, we need to figure out where she hid the memory and then—"

"We should start with Dean Thomas' home," Draco said. "I've heard that the home he purchased last year is in the countryside somewhere. That might be the house Ava was referring to. If not, maybe he can remember where the house was."

"Whoa! Hold on!" Ron almost shouted. He glared at Draco. "What do you mean _we?"_

"I've been made a temporary Auror," Draco announced, just managing not to smirk proudly.

Ron and Hermione's mouths popped open and they stared questioningly at Harry.

"It's true," Harry admitted. "I've made Malfoy—err, Draco—a temporary Auror." Ron went to speak, but Harry cut across him. "We'll talk about it later. Right now we need to go see Dean."

O-O

It was nearly sun set and ten year old Sophia Thomas was still playing in the large backyard of her father's house. Dean and Sophia were running around the yard playing and spraying each other with toy water guns. Father and daughter were having the time of their lives, enjoying one of the few moments when they weren't thinking about the changes in their family. While they were having fun they weren't thinking about the divorce, Dean and Ty's rift, or Parvati's increasingly erratic behavior. It was like old times, when everything was carefree and less complicated.

Sophia was currently hiding behind a large tree, waiting for her dad to walk past so she could ambush him with her water gun. She let out a scream of surprise when Dean snuck up behind her and grabbed her. She laughed hysterically until she could hardly breathe as her father tickled her.

"You Apparated! You cheated, Daddy!" Sophia laughed.

Dean was laughing, too. "I did not!"

"You did, too!" Their laughter could be heard throughout the autumn air. "Daddy, I'm hungry. What's for dinner?"

"Whatever you want, princess."

"Whatever I want?"

"Whatever you want."

Sophia thought for a moment before a grin spread across her face. "Can we have ice cream sundaes?"

Dean grinned. "Let's go make some sundaes!"

Sophia shrieked with excitement and raced her father back to the house. Once inside the kitchen they immediately went to work making their sundaes. They topped their ice cream with chocolate syrup, nuts and sprinkles. They even added on a few marshmallows for the fun of it.

"These are really good!" Sophia exclaimed, her mouth full of ice cream. "Too bad Nate and Ty are missing out on it."

A pang of pain his Dean in the chest at the mention of his eldest son's name, but he kept smiling. "Maybe we can do this again when they come home for Christmas holiday."

"Yeah, maybe…"

Dean did not miss the note of sadness in his daughter's voice. It saddened him deeply that his daughter noticed and was sad about the rift between him and Ty. She didn't deserve any of it.

"Maybe we can go to the zoo tomorrow if you'd like—"

"Daddy, can I come live with you?"

Dean nearly choked on his ice cream. "Sophia—"

"I know what you're going to say, Daddy, but I really have a good reason." Sophia insisted. "Mummy's been really sad and drinking wine and a few days ago there were noises coming from her room—"

"What kinds of noises?"

Sophia felt her cheeks grow warm and she squirmed a little I her seat. "Laughing…and then…_other noises_…I heard…a-a man…"

An inferno burst inside of Dean's belly. He almost screamed out in outrage, and had to clench his fists together to keep himself under control. "There was a _man _in the house?! Who was he? Do you know him? You were in the house when this happened?!"

"I-I didn't see him, I heard while I was trying to sleep—"

"Was he there before you went to sleep?"

"N-no, Mummy went out and—"

"SHE LEFT YOU ALONE IN THE HOUSE?!" Dean roared.

Sophia nearly fell out of her chair. Never in her ten years of life had he heard her father yell like that. Dean, realizing how out of control he had gotten and the fact that he was practically interrogating his daughter, pulled himself together and immediately apologized.

"Oh Sophia, darling, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to scream like that—I'm not mad at you, I promise. Please…"

He reached out for her. She hesitated for a second, but then went into her father's arms, her fear dissipated. "Grandpa and Grandma Patil were visiting, I wasn't alone in the house." Sophia explained. "I didn't see him, but I could smell him. His cologne was really strong."

_Number one sign that the guy's a sleaze, _Dean thought bitterly with a frown.

"So can I live with you? Please? I won't be any trouble, I promise. I only have one more year until I go off to Hogwarts."

Sophia's brown eyes were large and pleading, with shades of fear and desperation. Dean's heart broke inside of his chest. He was about to say yes, about to hold his daughter to his chest and never let her go. But the alarm that signaled visitors went off and prevented Dean from replying immediately. He left Sophia in the kitchen with the promise to come back, and then went to the front door to see who had arrived. From the window he could make out the familiar figures of Harry Potter, Hermione and Ron Weasley, and the pale and blonde Draco Malfoy.

"Sophia, go to your room." Dean said.

"But Daddy—"

"Take your ice cream and go to your room. Don't come down until I go and get you." He insisted. "Now!"

Sophia obeyed and ran up the staircase. Dean grabbed his wand and rushed out of the house, his wand held up in front of him. He met the foursome at the protective gate.

"GET OFF OF MY PROPERTY, MALFOY!" Dean roared, pointing the wand directly at his chest.

Draco's first instinct was to draw his own wand, but Hermione's hand over his prevented him from doing so.

"Dean please, we don't want any trouble! We need to talk!" Harry pleaded.

"Why is he at my house?!"

"Dean please, we need your help!" Hermione added.

"Yeah, we're not here to stir anything up. And neither is Malfoy," Harry gave Draco a pointed look. "_Right, _Malfoy?"

Draco's blood was boiling, but he remembered his promise to Harry and calmed himself down. "Right. I don't want any trouble. I apologize for showing up like this, but we need your help. I've been made a temporary Auror—"

"_WHAT?!"_

"—and we believe that you may have information that will be helpful."

Harry, Ron, Hermione and even Dean were surprised at how calm and professional Malfoy sounded. You would've thought that he had been doing this sort of thing for years.

"Dean, please." Said Hermione. "Can we come inside?"

Dean hesitated for a moment, but the thought of being able to help was overwhelming, and he yielded. "Alright, but don't try anything, Malfoy!"

Draco stopped himself from replying with a snappy remark, and followed Dean into the house. The place wasn't bad, Draco thought as he looked around. The house was nice-looking and the grounds were well-maintained and lovely to look at. As much as he hated to admit it, Dean did a nice job on the house. Draco sat quietly—albeit awkwardly—on the sofa as Harry explained the situation, and what they saw in the Pensive. When he was finished Dean's jaw was dropped in disbelief.

"Wow."

"Wow indeed." Harry agreed.

"This is just mad," Dean said. "So you're saying that she might have hidden something here? In my house?"

"Yeah," said Ron. "Did you notice anything strange when you renovated the house? Any vaults or holes in the walls?"

Dean shook his head. "The house was in pretty bad shape when I bought it. There were countless holes in the walls—"

"What about loose floorboards?" Draco asked, suddenly turning everyone's attention on himself. "I recall Ava having a penchant for those."

Dean's eyes widened. "Sophia's room!" he said. "I remember I was trying to get into the little cabinet in the seats under the bay window to clean it out, but I couldn't unlock the cabinet door. I used every magical spell I knew but I still couldn't get it to unlock!"

"Ava must've put a protective enchantment on it." Said Hermione. She stood up. "I think we should take a look."

The five adults ascended the stairs to the girl's room, where they found her sitting on that very window seat.

"Daddy, what's going on?"

"Important business, sweetheart." Said Dean. "Would you please sit over here on your bed, please? We need to get into that cabinet."

Sophia obeyed her father and moved aside. Hermione was the first to reach the cabinet, and used upon it every charm breaking and unlocking spell she knew, but still it would not open.

"Boy, Ava placed one hell of a charm on this." Ron commented.

Both Draco and Dean grinned proudly.

"She was always excellent with Charms." Draco said.

"But how do we get it open?"

Hermione shrugged sadly. "I'm not sure. The trigger to make it open can be almost anything—a spell, an object, a word—"

"Violet!" Ron suggested. He reached for the handle and tugged on it, but it would not move.

"Gryffindor!" Harry shouted.

Still nothing.

"Lion!"

"Love!"

"Richard!"

"House-elf!"

One by one they suggested words that they thought would open the cabinet, but it remained stubbornly locked. They were about to give up, but then Draco remembered something. It was a long-shot, but he was almost sure that he would be right.

"Finn." Draco said.

The others opened their mouths to question him, but stopped short when the cabinet door popped open. There was a brief moment of stunned silence before Harry reached into the cabinet and pulled out an ancient box. He tugged on the lid, manipulated the lock, and banged on the box, desperate to get it open.

"Harry, stop! That won't work!" Hermione cried. "Look, there's a groove there in the middle—I think some sort of object has to be placed there for it to open!"

Harry looked down at the box and saw the distinctive groove. He sighed and nearly screamed out in frustration. "Oh great, another damn thing to figure out!"

"We'll find it," said Draco. "The object—whatever it is—we'll find it. Ava was sentimental, whatever the key is it was something personal to her. I still have some of her things in my attic. I'll search them when I get home tonight."

That's a good idea, Mal—Draco," Hermione said, that last word feeling so foreign on her tongue. "That's a good place to start."

"What do I do in the meantime?" Dean asked.

"You should probably search here on your property," Draco suggested. "She could've easily hidden it here for convenience."

"Right." Said Dean.

It was strange, all five of them working together; Four Gryffindors and a Slytherin, enemies since childhood. But it was a necessary unity, one that Hermione Weasley was starting to believe would work out after all.


	13. Game On

Violet was ascending the staircase that lead to the secret entrance to the Gryffindor common room. She was being followed closely by Selena, who was bombarding her with questions and whiny pleas.

"What did he tell you, Vi?" Selena asked.

Violet rolled her eyes but said nothing.

Selena pressed further. "Violet—"

"_Not here!_" Violet hissed impatiently. "There's too many people around."

Selena waited until they finally got to their dormitory to ask again. "Violet, what did Beckett want?"

Violet rolled her eyes and huffed an irritated sigh. "Nothing important. He came to deliver a message from Theodore, is all. He wants to meet me on Tuesday night in the Room of Requirements."

Selena looked a little let down by this information, even a little skeptical about her friend's honesty, but said nothing more about it.

"Oh," she said. She thought for a moment, debating whether or not to bring up the subject of Ty and their little confrontation. After a moment's thought, a burst of adrenaline, bravery, and genuine curiosity, Selena dared to ask. "What was that all about with Ty?"

Violet stared at her. "What?"

"That thing with Ty. What was that about?" Selena asked again, her dark eyes intense and knowing. "Why did you have to treat him like that?"

Violet's eyebrows knitted together. "Exactly how did I treat him?"

"Coldly." Selena answered in a soft but firm voice. Her eyes were staring into Violet's with a hard expression that held a degree of worry and even sadness.

She was angry, hurt, sympathetic and worried. Ty was Selena's cousin and Violet was her best friend, which put her in the difficult position of wanting to both help and protect both of them. It was hard for her, Violet knew that, and she could understand and sympathize.

"He had no right to pry into my business." Violet answered as calmly as possible.

"But did you have to-"

"Yes, I did." Said Violet pointedly. She then turned around, back to their Divination homework, not wishing to discuss this any further.

Selena knew that she would get nowhere with Violet, at least not anytime soon. Though she was optimistic that she would eventually get Violet to see sense, she decided to drop the subject for the time being. But not before adding one last piece of advice.

"He probably suspects something." Selena said.

Violet looked up at her. "What?"

"He probably suspects something," Selena repeated. "Ty, I mean. By now he's probably suspecting that we're up to something."

Violet shrugged, looking utterly dismissive of the idea. "Let him be suspicious. It's not like he'll find out what we're doing. Not unless you tell him."

Violet's eyes were burning holes in Selena's, shooting unspoken warning signs. Selena almost quivered under the threatening stare, but did not back down.

"Of course I won't tell him." She promised. "But he's not stupid, Vi. He'll be onto us. Ty's stubborn, he's like a dog with a bone—he won't give up until he finds out what's going on."

The pale girl laughed a little dark, condescending laugh. "Sel, in case you haven't noticed, I'm just as stubborn as he is. I'm well aware that he suspects something, and I have a plan. He'll do his best to find out, but I won't let him. If he's a dog with a bone then I'm a lioness with a piece of meat—I won't give up, either. What I need to know is…are you on my team? Are you going to help me protect our secret from Ty or not?"

A small part of Selena wanted to say no, to not go against her own flesh and blood. But a bigger part of her was tempted by the thought of sharing something secret with Violet and learn forbidden things. So with a small sigh she sided with Violet.

"Yes. I'll help you protect the secret."

"Good." Violet smiled proudly. "Game on, Ty."

O-O

Ty found Jessica Nott in the library searching through a tall stack of books with Sonia. He approached them quickly but quietly as not to attract the attention of Madame Ponce.

"Jess, can I please have a word?" He whispered.

"Yes, of course." Jess replied, a little surprised at the urgency in Ty's voice.

Ty glanced apologetically at his cousin. "Um…can we speak privately?" He asked Jess.

Jess and Sonia shared a quick confused glance. "Yeah…alright." Jess said.

Ty and Jess exited the library and found an empty corridor. Not wanting to waste any precious time, Ty got straight to the point. "Jess, I need your help."

"With what?"

"Violet," Ty replied. "She's up to something."

Jess giggled a little. "Isn't she always?"

Ty offered a courteous little smile. "Yeah."

Jess giggled again, but nodded in agreement. "Seriously, though, I know Violet is up to something. With my brother, I'm sure. I've suspected it for a while, I've just had trouble proving any of it."

Ty sighed with relief. "So it's not just me! Thank Merlin!"

Jess nodded her head and stared at Ty directly in his eyes, suddenly all business. "I assume you need me to help you figure out what they're up to and stop their dastardly deed before anything bad happens?"

Ty, grateful for the clever Ravenclaw's keen intuition, nodded his head. "I just don't want her to get hurt, you know? No offense but—"

"My brother isn't exactly the trustworthy type, I know." Jess finished for him. "And if I recall correctly, you and I were supposed to figure this out last year."

He shrugged, feeling a little ashamed of himself. "Yeah, but other things got in the way."

"Understandable. Life gets in the way sometimes," Jess agreed with a nod. "So…what do you suppose we do?"

"So you'll help?" Ty asked, looking down at the blonde hopefully.

"Of course." Said Jess. "I love them both and would hate to sit back and do nothing while they do something that could very well ruin both of their lives. It's for their own good."

Ty couldn't have agreed more. "Yes, for their own good."

"But you know, we have to be careful. My brother and Violet are highly intelligent. They'll be onto us, and they'll be onto us soon if we're not careful."

"I think they already are—at least Violet is." Ty confessed. "We sort of had a little incident earlier after Hunter Beckett came up and whispered in her ear…"

Ty's veins were thumping at the memory, which made Jess fight hard to suppress a giggle at Ty's obvious jealousy.

"Alright, the game is on, I guess." Said Jess. "You and I against Violet and Theodore."

Ty laughed a little. "Plus Hunter Beckett and Selena—they're in on it too, I'm sure of it."

"Hmm," Jess tapped her foot on the stone floor as she thought of a solution. Then a smirk spread across her face. "Well, let's even the odds a bit."

"What are you suggesting?"

"That we get Sonia in on this as well. I'm sure she wouldn't want Selena involved in any of this."

"Yeah, I don't want Sel involved in this, either." Ty gave it a few moments thought, debating whether or not he should allow another person he loved and cared about to get involved in the situation. Sonia was tough, though, so Ty yielded. "Yeah, alright."

"Good," said Jess. "I'll go get Sonia and all three of us can get together and think up a plan to catch them—for their own good."

"For their own good." Ty repeated with a confident nod of his head.


End file.
